Seth's Magical Adventure!
by DoraCatBuu
Summary: Seth gets a mission he doesn't want to do. In an attempt to shirk it off, he finds himself, and his kingdom, heading right into a very planned, very colossal war. With help from the Espers, can Egypt shake off this magical onslaught?
1. Seth's big mistake

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, in its present time or past. Kazuki Takahashi does.

"ARGH!" a very shrill scream echoed down the palace halls, "I hate this poor excuse for a job!" Mahaado, who'd been busy trying to teach his student Mana how to properly light a torch on fire, jumped up in shock, setting his own scripture on fire. He clenched his fists as he heard the screaming continue. That voice could only belong to Seth, and as usual, he was in a pretty bad mood. But Mahaado would rather be damned than let Seth ruin his lesson over his job. Calmly, but firmly, he marched out of the room and into the dark hall.

"Master, where are you going?" Mana asked, running to the doorway, "The lesson's not over yet, is it?" Mahaado turned back to face her.

"For now, it is. You're free to go, Mana," Mahaado replied, and continued his way down to Seth's room. This was the third time in a week that Seth somehow disrupted Mahaado in some way, and unsurprisingly, Mahaado was getting sick of it. He intended to give Seth a piece of his mind as he made his way to a wooden door and rapped it roughly. At first, there was no answer, as though Seth might've been hesitating to reply.

"Seth, open this door. Now," Mahaado said firmly. There was a heavy sigh, and the door creaked open. Seth stood there, cross expression and helmet in hand. He looked at Mahaado with little interest.

"What?" he asked furiously. He made no move to let the other priest into his room, so Mahaado simply told him the problem.

"You've disrupted my lesson again," Mahaado said plainly, as Seth rolled his eyes, "That's the third time this week. Now, what's going on that you're yelling your lungs out for anyone to hear? Don't you even think of what might happen if the pharaoh happened to hear?" Seth snorted and looked rather amused by this.

"So then let him hear," Seth replied, "I plan to complain to him anyway." Now Seth stepped aside to let Mahaado through, and Mahaado immediately sat in a chair near the door as Seth sat on his bed.

"Complain about what, if I may ask?" Mahaado inquired. Seth looked around, and then gently pushed the door closed. Whatever was bothering him, he obviously didn't want anyone else to know, despite him screaming as loud as was possible. He walked back to his bed and leaned close so Mahaado had no difficulty hearing him.

"My job," Seth whispered, "I'm not happy with what I have to do. He's sending me out north for a patrol job of our borders." Mahaado arched an eyebrow and tilted his head. That seemed like a pretty poor excuse to go and complain, especially to the pharaoh.

"And?" Mahaado asked further, then said, "Up north towards the forested region isn't bad." Seth closed his eyes for a minute, upset that Mahaado wasn't seeing his point of view.

"And do you know WHO he's sending me with?" Seth asked. Mahaado shook his head, and Seth added, "That freak of a knight, Sith." Mahaado tried his best to cover up a laugh. Sith was foreign and came to Egypt to work as a warrior as an order from her father, who was the leader of a kingdom very far north. No one knew why she had to work _here_, nor did she feel she should explain. All everyone knew was that she didn't get along with Seth… or with most of the high priests for that matter.

"Wow… I… I'm sorry," was all Mahaado managed to say once he regained himself to the point where he wasn't snickering. He respected Sith, but the thought of her and Seth actually having to work together was just amusing. One of them would probably end up dead in this case.

"I am too. She has the nerve to tell the pharaoh she knows her way around that forest, too," Seth grumbled, picking up a small sack to pack some of his spare clothes into, "And when I protested, all he said was 'It'll be good for you.' He thinks he knows what's best for me!" Mahaado tried to smile warmly as he patted Seth on the back.

"Well, he _is_ our ruler," Mahaado stated, "Listen, if you really don't want to do this, I'll ask him if I may go in your place. But please don't quit. You can take my jobs while I'm gone." Seth seemed to be considering Mahaado's offer, but when he thought of Mana, he quickly shook his head.

"No. I'm not teaching that little pyrotechnist you call a student," Seth declined, "Last time I tried to help her, she set my hair on fire. And then she made it rain toads when she tried to put it out." Mahaado sighed, and shrugged.

"It's your choice," he said, "I'm going to go back and try to find Mana. We haven't actually finished our lesson, and it sounds like she could use every chance for practice I can give her." With that, Mahaado left the room, leaving Seth with an empty sack and a handful of decisions he could make regarding his self-appointed dilemma. Now that he thought about it, quitting his job did seem a little too rash. Besides, the pharaoh wasn't an unreasonable man. He'd listen. But should he talk to the pharaoh first, or to Sith? If he made peace with Sith, that'd be even better.

"She's probably easier to find than the pharaoh anyway," Seth concluded, "Not to mention not nearly as busy." With that being said, Seth walked out into the hallway and took the path that'd lead him behind the bedrooms and classrooms. That would lead him towards a balcony overlooking the back courtyard where most of the soldiers trained. Luckily Sith would be there training with them. Seth walked down briskly until another priest managed to stop him, annoying Seth even more than he usually was.

"Priest Seth, where are you going?" came the deep voice of High Priest Karim, "Why are you heading towards the training grounds?" Seth twitched and turned around slowly to face Karim.

"I'm looking for Sith," he said simply, "Now excuse me." He pushed past Karim briskly and continued down.

"Knight Sith? But she's not on the training grounds," Karim called. Normally, Seth would've ignored Karim, but because this had some relevance to what Seth was doing, he stopped and looked back at Karim.

"What do you mean, she's not there?" Seth asked impatiently, "Where is she?"

"She's in the throne room, talking to the pharaoh," Karim replied, "And by the sound of things, it's something very important too." Since Seth heard what he needed to know, he ignored the rest of what Karim was saying and practically ran the other way down the hall, where it opened up a bit to a much larger hallway. Seth weaved his way past a few servants as he kept up a sprint towards the middle of the large hallway, where two very large golden doors sat. Thankfully for Seth, they were opened. He wouldn't need to waste his time either pushing them open himself or ordering someone else to. He turned sharply and narrowly avoided slamming into one of the water girls. He whizzed past her and stopped abruptly as the doors opened up to the very spacious throne and courtroom. And on the throne sat the pharaoh, Atemu. And like Karim said, Sith was speaking to him. Seth kept his distance and listened carefully.

"My father says they're attacking the northern expanse, but thankfully they haven't stormed Lion's Gate yet," Sith said, and she sounded very serious. Atemu nodded.

"Then they won't make it into Nesce anytime soon, will they?" Atemu asked, "We have time to get over and help your father, I'd hope."

"As long as the gate holds up, they can't get through," Sith replied, relief coming through her voice, "Is this why you asked Seth to come with me?" Atemu seemed to be considering his answer as Sith waited patiently for him to speak. To her surprise, he shook his head.

"No," Atemu said firmly, "No, there are other reasons I've asked him to help you." Sith, feeling curious and somewhat slighted that he wasn't telling her everything, stepped up.

"And those other reasons are…?" Sith inquired suspiciously. From his hiding place, Seth snorted. Sith forgot her place again and now he could get her for it and slip out of this undesirable task. Briskly, but timely, he walked over and made it loud and clear that the two weren't alone. Atemu stared blankly at Seth, and Sith was annoyed to see him.

"Knight, have you forgotten who you're speaking to?" Seth asked softly, "I'd advise you to show more respect for our king." Atemu glanced at Sith, and her expression barely changed, though her hand moved almost mechanically to her sword.

"You mean _your_ king," Sith said simply, "I'm only here to help my father, who is also a king. Seeing as how I'm higher up than you are, I think you should be careful." Atemu hid a laugh as Seth's face grew a shade redder. Seth turned angrily to Atemu, trying as hard as he could not to make a complete fool of himself, though he bet Sith already did that for him.

"You're not a queen, so you have no right being so casual with the pharaoh," Seth growled, still looking at Atemu to see his reaction. When Atemu made no move to object, Seth continued, "I'd mind your manners or you'll be very sorry." Sith's expression still didn't change, either she was thinking or simply ignoring Seth. Atemu decided now was a good time to stop whatever was happening, for he had a feeling that if Sith got the next word in, his throne room would be turned upside-down.

"Priest Seth, is there a reason you interrupted our conversation?" Atemu asked calmly, "Knight Sith was telling me the current report on the Lion's Gate, and asking for advice before you both set off." Seth twitched slightly, but spoke up.

"Sir, I actually wanted to talk to you about that," Seth replied, "Is there a way you might be able to send someone else?" Sith raised her eyebrows in an amused manner and stepped down to let Seth through. She stood against a pillar in case Atemu called for her presence. Atemu himself looked bewildered at the question.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously, "Can you not perform your duties?" Seth looked from Atemu back to Sith, who seemed to be asking the same thing in her mind. Seth heaved a heavy sigh.

"It's just that…" Seth looked around, trying to find something other than the fact that he just didn't like Sith, "Well… perhaps she'll get there faster if I wasn't there?" He smiled when he saw both Atemu and Sith's reaction. Sith seemed confused, but the idea appealed to her, and Atemu was considering it. Whatever was going on, Seth had hit a speed bump by suggesting that Sith should go alone for now. Atemu beckoned Sith over, and whispered something to her. She whispered back, and after a minute of exchanged whispers, a decision was made. Sith stood beside Atemu to let him answer.

"All right, I'll allow Sith to go alone for now," Atemu finally said, though he seemed hesitant about something, "But I would like you to follow tomorrow, Seth. If you must, bring another high priest or two, but I don't want Sith out in the northern expanse for too long by herself, no matter how strong she is." Seth nodded, though he was only half-listening. The fact that he managed to get out of spending a day or two with Sith was making him ecstatic. Sith, however, took out her sword and bowed to Atemu.

"I'll be off then, sir," Sith said, and took off in a surprising speed. Atemu watched her go and vanish before returning his gaze to Seth, who had a grin a mile wide.

"Priest Seth? Aren't you going to prepare?" Atemu asked quizzically, tilting his head. For a minute, it seemed Seth hadn't actually listened to Atemu at all.

"Prepare for what!?" Seth snapped, and then it hit him, "Oh, I mean… yes! Yes, I must prepare. Thank you, sir, I won't let you down." Like Sith, Seth also sped out of the throne room, but instead of leaving through the entrance, he turned back toward where he'd come. This time, he actually did slam into a servant. But he ignored him, even when the servant started yelling and shaking his fist. As of now, Seth had time to do whatever he felt. It wouldn't take him long to pack anything. All he'd really need was a horse, though he figured he might as well take someone else along too, if only to complain to someone.

"Maybe I'll ask Mahaado if he wants to come," Seth said to himself as he walked down the deserted hallways towards the priests' chambers, "He did suggest he go in my place. Maybe I can make him go without me by saying nothing went well." As he thought, or rather, spoke to himself, Seth turned another corner into what he thought was his own room. He'd been so distracted with his plans that he tripped over a chair where he thought his bed was, and looked up only when he fell over. Mahaado, who'd been sitting with Isis, Karim, and Shaddah, looked down.

"Seth? You're back already?" Mahaado asked, arching an eyebrow, "I'm guessing you found Sith." Seth mumbled, getting off of the floor and looking around. To his dismay, he was in a conference room, not his bedroom like he'd thought. Shrugging it off, he took a seat next to Isis and snorted.

"I found more than that," Seth replied, "The pharaoh sent Sith ahead, but he wants me to follow her tomorrow and make sure she gets over to the Lion's Gate." Shaddah, although he was looking down at the floor in concentration, whistled and leaned back in his seat.

"He let Sith leave on her own? The status there must be worse than we thought," Shaddah said dryly, his lips becoming tighter with disapproval, "He said himself that no one is allowed to travel through the northern expanse alone."

"At least Seth won't be too far behind her. Besides, she's one of our strongest warriors. She should be fine," Karim added, and then looked to Isis, "But just in case, can your necklace detect her future? If she's in danger, Seth should leave today." Isis nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on Sith's future. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes a minute later, her expression was one of failure and frustration.

"Nothing," she replied sadly, "Sith's fate is as cloudy as ours. All we can do is hope she'll be safe." Seth rolled his eyes, tired of hearing everyone worry about the foreign knight. She certainly didn't seem worried about herself.

"She'll be fine until I get everything together," Seth mumbled, and then raised his voice a bit, "Anyway, the pharaoh suggested I take one of you along with me. Without Sith around, I won't have the physical advantage if I'm attacked by thieves. So, who wants to go?" Unfortunately, if Seth thought everyone would rush to his aid, they didn't. The four other priests simply looked at one another, at a loss for words. Soon, Seth became very annoyed when no one said anything for well over five minutes. It was Shaddah who finally got out of his chair.

"I'd love to go, but I fear I may be needed in court," he said as calmly as possible, leaving casually. Seth gave him an icy glare as he passed, which he promptly ignored. Isis sighed and stood up as well.

"My powers may be needed here as well," she stated simply, "If I find anything wrong with your journey, I'll send for you." With that, she practically rushed away as quickly as she could without actually seeming rude. That left Mahaado and Karim, both of whom expected the other to volunteer. Neither of them did.

"Fine then. Mahaado, you're coming with me," Seth finally said, grabbing Mahaado's arm and dragging him out of the seat. Mahaado looked frightfully at Karim, hoping… no, praying that his friend would say something to make Seth leave him alone. Mahaado wanted nothing to do with helping Seth lie to both the pharaoh and to Sith, as he had a pretty good idea of whatever Seth happened to be planning. Karim rose to his feet, but what he said crushed whatever hope Mahaado held.

"You've found a partner! Wonderful! Well, I'd better be going," Karim exclaimed, walking out of the room, "I've got a lot of work to do. I'm pretty sure there's a mother somewhere who wants to know if her child is a good boy or not." Mahaado uncharacteristically twitched and struggled against Seth's grip.

"_WHAT!?_" he yelled angrily, fuming, "You don't have any orders like that! You don't have any orders period! Get over here and help me!!" That only made Karim run away faster. Like Mahaado, and the other priests, Karim also wanted nothing to do with Seth. The last time he'd helped Seth out, he had a curse for weeks. Unfortunately, even with Seth's firm grip, Mahaado's magic still found a way to form a wall right in front of Karim, and the priest slammed into it.

"Ow… what the…?" Karim reached out and felt solid air. He scrambled to his feet and turned back, screaming, "Mahaado! Remove this wall NOW!" Mahaado didn't move another muscle, as his intended effect was achieved. Seth couldn't help but laugh and feel just a pinch of respect for Mahaado's anger. But now he had to finish what Mahaado inadvertently started.

"Give it a rest, Karim," Seth said grimly, "I was planning on dragging both of you with me, anyway." Mahaado turned as best he could to see Seth's face, a look of suspicion crossing him.

"You were? Why?" Mahaado asked curiously, "You said the pharaoh requested only one of us go with you." Seth blinked.

"And while I enjoy you and Karim trying to kill each other just to avoid me, I can't have you both attracting attention to me. He'll hear you and then wonder why you both are being so stubborn," Seth replied sharply, "Besides, it'll be all the more safer with three priests instead of two." Mahaado was too busy still being upset with Karim to really consider this, so Karim thought for him.

"I smell a bad idea," Karim said, "What if we refuse?" Seth chuckled a little.

"I had a feeling you'd say something to that extent," Seth said darkly, grinning, "That's why I took the liberty of stealing one of Sith's memory… things, and recording everything you both said and did in the past five minutes. If you refuse, I'll show the pharaoh this sphere of you using your magic without urgency, and I'll tell Sith you stole her sphere." Mahaado looked terrified, and finally broke free of Seth. He managed to knock into the wall, but regained himself quickly.

"You wouldn't!" Mahaado exclaimed, exasperated, "That's bribery! That's a crime!"

"Not to mention Sith wouldn't believe you anyway," Karim added coolly, raising his own eyebrow, "Eventually she'd convince the pharaoh that you're responsible anyway. You'll have to do better than that." Seth sighed, and took out a large book.

"Fine then. I'll just have to tell Akunadin that you're the ones who took his book of mystical poetry too," Seth sighed, and Karim immediately snatched the book away.

"We had to! The pharaoh asked that we find the spell for opening the Lion's Gate!" Karim exclaimed defensively, and then sulked, "Fine, we'll help you. But we're not going to lie to the pharaoh. If we see him, we'll tell him exactly what you're trying to do." Mahaado walked over to join Karim, and nodded sternly.

"And the same goes for Sith. We're putting her in danger already by letting her go off by herself," Mahaado added, "Just make sure you're ready before we are tomorrow, or we'll leave without you and we'll definitely tell Sith what you're up to." Seth aimed an icy glare at Mahaado.

"Good luck with that one," Seth said grumpily, "I'll be ready. Just be at the entrance gate by mid-morning with three horses. I'll bring supplies." Mahaado nodded, and both he and Karim left. Seth felt relieved once they were gone, and flopped miserably into a chair. With two other priests going along, leaving Sith behind would be harder, and Seth wanted nothing to do with Lion's Gate or the other… creatures from where Sith came from.

"I might as well do some packing," Seth sighed, heaving himself out of the chair and into the hall, this time heading towards his room for real, "I'll get the food tomorrow, but I'll need some clothing, and I should take some scrolls or books. I wonder if I can convince someone to lend me a spear…" Seth turned the corner into his room as he thought, and closed the door so nothing could bother him. After all, he had to focus on his job, whether he wanted to or not.

"It's just too bad that I have to take BOTH Mahaado and Karim now…"

-----------------------------(End chapter)

Well, the first chapter to my first Memory Arc fanfiction is done! It looks like Seth's plan to avoid a dangerous job failed miserably, but will he still find a way to avoid going after Sith? Why DID he have to take Karim, anyway? Would the pharaoh believe whatever Seth told him if Karim refused? And why did I make them all so out of character? Anyway, find out most of the answers next chapter, so click that Review button!


	2. Eerieness in the town

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, in any time period. Kazuki Takahashi does.

Seth found with sudden dismay that it took him less time than he thought to pack the supplies he needed for his trip, save the food he'd bring. He already told himself he'd collect that tomorrow, though part of him nagged himself to get it now while he had nothing to do. And Seth hated that. He even deliberately messed up his room just to stall for time as he went "searching" for his Millennium Rod, but unsurprisingly, he managed to find it. Now, Seth sat in his chair, counting his things miserably.

"Two sets of clothing, a case of healing scrolls, my rod," Seth began without any interest, "And a bunch of stuff I probably don't need. Wonderful. Everything's been accounted for six times." Sighing, Seth heaved himself out of his chair and went to the windowsill. He looked out, and caught the sun as it set for the night, turning the sky an inky black, with just a line of dark red over the horizon indicating the sun's position. As he stared, he thought quietly about Sith and began to wonder how she was faring, if she made it far at all. Then he slapped himself angrily.

"Oh, why should I care about that little wench, anyway?" Seth asked himself, his face in a deep scowl, "I didn't even _want_ to go with her to the Lion's Gate! …but I suppose I feel bad knowing she's out there." Seth looked down in deep thought for another minute, trying to figure out how he could justify to himself what he was doing. Thankfully, that wasn't too hard as he shrugged the next minute.

"Oh well, at least the pharaoh probably sent a few guards after her," Seth finally concluded, opening the door to the dark hall once again, "It's no skin off my nose." Feeling a bit better about his situation, Seth strolled proudly down the hallway towards the downstairs. He had a very odd grin on his face, and he became aware of it as a servant who had passed stopped to take a look, and then ran when Seth glared. Seth ignored it as he continued on. The farther towards the stairs he went, and then eventually down them, Seth noticed that the hallway was slowly filling with guards, servants, and a few others as they also made their way down the steps and into the large entrance hall. And soon he heard why. The dinner bell rung very loudly, sending a few poor souls that were too close scurrying around.

"Ow! Watch it, you fool!" Seth yelled as a young servant accidentally ran into him, nearly pushing him down the stairs. She apologized profusely and was gone in a flash. Seth mumbled angrily and dusted his robes off until he saw Mahaado, Isis, and Shaddah walking into the dining hall. He grinned evilly as they saw him as well, and chuckled when they all scrambled to get away from him, thereby practically throwing themselves at another servant who ducked just in time. Feeling like he now had as much control as he liked, Seth walked casually into the dining hall. He found Mahaado and Isis joined Karim and Akunadin at the highest table, along with the pharaoh himself. Shaddah wasn't there, though. He was talking to a group of guards farther back. Sith's seat was empty, too. And by the look of it, Siamun Muran, the vizier, was pretty confused and nervous as to why, looking at the empty seat next to him.

"Not my problem," Seth reassured himself as he made his way to the table, "At least, not for right now." He seated himself down next to Siamun and tried to avoid the old man's eyes. That worked for possibly two minutes until the question Seth feared came.

"Priest Seth, where on earth did Knight Sith go?" Siamun asked, keeping his voice low so the pharaoh wouldn't hear him, "She's always here for dinner. I wonder if she's all right?" Obviously, it was pretty clear that Siamun didn't know that Sith had already left for the Lion's Gate, and she wouldn't be back for some time. Seth twitched in annoyance.

"I'm… sure she's fine," he whispered back, "The pharaoh suggested she leave for the Lion's Gate alone." Seth hoped Siamun wouldn't ask anything else as he conveniently forgot to mention one detail, that he'd also been there. Siamun's eyebrows furrowed for a minute, and then he nodded wisely.

"Yes, yes, of course. I see now," Siamun mumbled, mostly to himself, "Yes, the pharaoh must've had a good reason to suggest such a thing. Though I disapprove of someone so young going through that area of the desert, as it's quite dangerous…" Seth lowered his head angrily, having started Siamun on one of his lectures about the desert. He averted his eyes towards two large stone doors as Siamun continued on, hoping the food would arrive soon and shut the old man up. As if summoned by him, a servant walked out, announced that dinner was ready, and soon many more servants appeared, serving very generous plates of food. However, even as the guards were getting their food first, no one lifted so much as a finger until the pharaoh nodded approvingly. Then everyone began to eat… or just scarf down their food, depending on how hungry they were. Seth noticed that neither Mahaado nor Karim were eating much. They must've been nervous about the journey ahead. But Seth shrugged and ate his food without worry, until he caught Siamun talking to the pharaoh out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, I sent Sith out," the pharaoh replied calmly, looking down at his plate, "But it wasn't my first choice. I had wished for her to leave with a high priest, but the one I assigned her to…" The pharaoh sighed, obviously not wanting to give names or disgrace someone, as he finished with, "…became unable to help her." Seth noticed a tone of worry in the pharaoh's voice as he spoke, and cursed again. Soon everyone would know that Sith, the highest ranking Knight to the pharaoh, was gone, and they'd all be asking why. Seth wanted to avoid that, and now he regretted going to the pharaoh for any help, as doing so only seemed to make his life harder.

"A high priest couldn't go?" Akunadin asked, from the other side of the pharaoh, "Why not? Surely one of them had the time to escort the knight." Seth clenched one of his fists silently as the pharaoh shook his head.

"Not one," he replied grimly, "I almost told her I'd escort her myself, but then I realized that'd defeat the whole purpose of her going. Still, I'm worried for her." Seth swallowed his food hard, trying to forget everything. Which was impossible at this point. Akunadin frowned disapprovingly, apparently at the pharaoh's choice.

"The Lion's Gate is too dangerous for you, pharaoh," Akunadin said plainly, sipping his water, "I understand your concern. Since I am the eldest high priest here… next to Siamun, of course, I feel it's my duty to scold the fool who backed away from their orders. Just tell me who they are, pharaoh." Now Seth froze when he heard that, and found he no longer had any appetite. He also didn't trust the pharaoh to keep their meeting a secret, as he quietly put his fork down and ate nothing more. He instead kept his eye on the pharaoh. But the pharaoh said nothing more as he ate his food. After what felt like hours, dinner had finally ended, but Seth wasn't about to wind down for the night. No, if anything, hearing Akunadin only made Seth want to leave sooner. So, as soon as he hit the hallway, Seth darted back upstairs to find Mahaado and Karim, both of whom he hoped had gone to their own chambers. As if responding to his inner call, Mahaado just happened to be walking down the hallway. Seth grinned a bit, rushed over, and tugged hard on the poor priest's arm. Mahaado yelped in surprise.

"What!? Oh…" Mahaado's eyes narrowed as he turned and saw who grabbed him, "Seth… what is it?" Obviously, he wasn't happy to see his fellow priest. In all honesty, Seth felt the feeling was mutual. But he didn't have time for that now.

"New change of plan. We're leaving tonight," Seth said quickly, trying to drag Mahaado down the hall. Mahaado blinked as he processed what Seth had said.

"What? Leaving?" Mahaado asked cluelessly, obviously forgetting what he had agreed to, "Oh! Wait, why!? Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Seth rolled his eyes and stopped walking, almost making Mahaado run right into him. He shook his head vigorously and fiddled with part of his robe.

"No, it can't. Everyone's getting suspicious about Sith leaving on her own, and it's driving me insane," Seth replied quietly, "I think it was a mistake asking to not go."

"I told you it wasn't a smart idea, didn't I?" Mahaado stated simply, and sighed, "At any case, I can't just leave. The pharaoh's called a meeting tonight in the audience chamber. We're all to attend. And no, I'm not going to cover for you if you try to run from it, either." Seth growled angrily at Mahaado's unwillingness to help him, and decided a different tactic.

"But Sith could be in danger. Don't you want to go help her?" Seth asked. Mahaado bit his lip, unsure of what the right answer could be. Leaving the court would mean his job, but if Sith managed to die…

"No. Sorry, but our duties are here," Mahaado said firmly, though there was still a shaky tone to him, "The pharaoh wouldn't just send her out there if he even felt a spark of death coming towards her. She'll be fine." Seth twitched, running out of excuses.

"But what if she IS hurt?" he asked, as Mahaado raised a suspicious eyebrow, "How would he know if she gets hurt? He did say he wanted to send someone with her. Think of the good standing we… I mean, you'll have with Akunadin if we went to help her? We wouldn't be shirking our duties at all." Mahaado seemed to consider this. He knew that the pharaoh would be upset with them missing the court, but if he knew of why they left… Mahaado kept in a sigh, as he knew Seth might be right about this.

"All right… we'll go and find Sith," Mahaado finally decided, frustrated with how this was going, "Just go and get Karim, and I'll tell the pharaoh we're leaving." Seth's eyes widened as Mahaado said that, and nearly tackled the man over as he turned to leave.

"NO!" Seth yelled, "Absolutely not! You can't tell him where we're going!" Mahaado grumbled and practically threw Seth off of him.

"Why can't we?" he asked, getting up and setting his robes straight, "For once, I'm actually agreeing with your methods. Just let me do the right thing and tell him where we're going." Seth grunted with annoyance, and finally reached an idea.

"Fine, go and tell him," Seth mumbled, as Mahaado turned to leave again, "But tell him that only you and Karim are going. Don't mention me." Mahaado stopped, turned around, and arched another eyebrow.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Because I'm the one who started this mess in the first place," Seth replied grimly, "Do you know how stupid I'll look to him if I beg to be let go and then end up running off to find her anyway?" Mahaado gave an odd look, but nodded reluctantly anyway. Once again turning to leave, Mahaado quickly walked up the stairs and into the audience chamber before Seth could keep him any longer, leaving Seth to go and find Karim. Thankfully, that wasn't too hard, as Karim had managed to make it to his own bedroom before something stopped him. And, that something was Seth as he walked in. Karim was packing up for the trip tomorrow, completely ignoring Seth's presence. And just like Seth, he seemed to be making a big mess, though it was purely accidental as it was followed with sighing, shuffling, and a swear.

"Karim, what are you doing!?" Seth asked when Karim crammed three books into his bag, which looked like it would burst. Karim, who wasn't paying much attention, jumped when he heard Seth.

"I'm packing up for tomorrow," he said sharply, calming down, "What is it? Is there some other lie you'd like us to help you with?" Seth glared at the older man, as he stuffed a scroll into the bag.

"No, but there's been a change. We're leaving tonight, as soon as Mahaado gets here," Seth explained. Karim put the brush he was packing down, and looked at Seth curiously. He couldn't understand why they'd just up and leave.

"Why tonight?" Karim asked, "Did something happen?" Seth nodded, his mouth slanting a little bit.

"Sort of. Everyone's talking about their worry for Sith," Seth replied guiltily, "I personally don't care what happens, but this is pulling way too much attention too quickly, so I'm going to see if I can make her come back." He expected Karim to agree, or to even taunt him about how right they'd been about this, but what he didn't expect was a hysterical laugh. And it made him even angrier.

"Good luck with that one," Karim said, controlling himself after a minute, "No one makes Sith do anything, except for the pharaoh. I doubt she'll even bother to listen to you." Seth felt a pang as he knew Karim would be right. Sith left easily enough, but that was because whatever she and the pharaoh were talking about was urgent. But on her own, away from him, she wasn't as predictable.

"I have to at least try," Seth said, as Mahaado walked in carrying a small bag.

"I've told him that Karim and I are leaving," Mahaado said, and Karim nodded approvingly, "He seemed very relieved to hear that. Are you both ready?"

"Just about. I just need to fit my scales in here," Karim replied, and when he couldn't fit his item into his bulging bag, he simply tied it to his belt. Mahaado looked at Seth, who waved dismissively, left the room, and came back carrying two bags. Seeing as how they were all packed, the three left Karim's room, and headed out towards the entrance chamber, and to the outside. Although Mahaado and Seth were walking straight towards the gates into the village beyond, Karim took a path veering toward the right. He spoke to a guard, and came back with three horses. Seth was almost glad to have brought both of them with him as they all climbed onto a horse each. The guard came and helped them saddle their bags to their horses, and left before they could thank him, leaving the three looking directly out of the gate.

"So, any ideas as to where we head once we're out of the palace?" Karim asked. Seth thought about it. The northern expanse was a good deal away, and they would have to go northeast once they were in the village, as they had left for the wrong gate. That would only take an hour or two at the most, leaving a good portion of the night to still search for Sith.

"She said something about the northern expanse and the Lion's Gate," Seth relayed, and thought out loud at the same time, "I doubt she made it there, yet, though. It's a good five day journey to reach the Alewood jungle that guards the gate, and then another day to travel inside of the jungle."

"If I calculate correctly, Sith might be near a smaller city that's banked just east of the Nile," Mahaado added, "With any luck, she stopped there for directions and supplies."

"That city has to be over 20 miles away, though. She's had all afternoon to get there, and I doubt she'd stop for long," Karim finished grimly, putting a bit of a damper on the plan, "Besides, don't forget that there are many dangers out in the desert, the least being jackals, hawks, and scorpions. At worst, she might have even run into thieves."

"You mean like Bakura?" Mahaado asked, "I've seen him running around here, if he spotted her, he might be tailing her." Karim nodded silently. Seth, however, wasn't nearly as concerned as the other two.

"She can easily handle Bakura," Seth replied, "Look, for now, let's focus on getting to the northern expanse. We can plan out everything else once we get there." Before waiting to see if the other two responded, Seth trotted off down the road. For a minute, Karim and Mahaado exchanged worried glances, for both had a feeling they were forgetting something important.

"Should we follow him?" Karim finally asked, after neither of them could remember what it was they'd forgotten. Mahaado nodded firmly.

"We might as well. He'll get pretty angry if he finds out we're not following," Mahaado replied nervously, "Though I keep feeling like something's wrong." Karim nodded absently, and then seemed to shrug it off.

"It could just be nerves," Karim finally said, though he seemed to be reassuring himself, "After all, we're heading to the dangerous part of the desert. I'm sure we'll be fine." Mahaado seemed to agree with this, and before Seth went too far ahead, the two priests urged their horses to dash off on his trail. It didn't take long to find him, as he was less than a few yards away, talking to a guard. The guard seemed to be hesitant about something, and left as soon as Seth dismissed him. Seth frowned when he saw Mahaado coming up, Karim only a few feet behind.

"Bad news," Seth said grimly, "Monsters are swarming in the northern expanse. They only open the gates twice a day, and no one is allowed outside after dusk, either. Nothing is opened this late." Karim cursed, but Mahaado wasn't overly surprised. He looked at the sky.

"When do they open the gate next?" he asked. Seth grunted.

"Midnight," Seth replied grumpily, "Not too long from now. We should hurry." All three nodded, and rode through the deserted streets of the town. Navigation was difficult, because no one had any torches lit. Whatever the guard was arguing with Seth about, this had to be it. Mahaado and Karim looked around for anyone that might be walking, but Seth kept ahead.

"I just noticed how creepy it is at night," Karim whispered, as they trotted past the tavern, "Now I can see why they've improved security. It'd be impossible to fight in town at night." Seth rolled his eyes as he kept his horse forward.

"It's not impossible. People still hold fights out here," Seth explained, "But I remember Sith talking to the pharaoh about the monsters. She said that some of them get stronger at night. Though why she didn't suggest lighting the town up is a mystery. Wouldn't that be better?" Mahaado sighed, and shook his head as they rounded the corner and down a narrow street.

"No," Mahaado replied simply, "We don't have the resources for a permanent fire, and Sith can't hold up her spells forever. This is the best we can do, I suppose. I'm just wondering what Lion's Gate has to do with the problem here."

"Maybe the monsters are coming in through there," Seth concluded, "When I told them Sith might be faster alone, they went for that idea on that opinion alone. The pharaoh made it seem like time was pretty important. Sith also said that something was attacking her… old kingdom, and…" Seth was about to finish when his horse reared up and gave a mighty whinny. That shocked Mahaado's horse, and he was thrown off and right into Karim, who fell off of his own horse. Seth settled the horses and looked down. There stood two guards, spears pointed.

"Halt! Who comes to the gate!?" one shouted, trying to get a torch ready, "Do you not know that we open this gate twice a day?" He lit the stick and held it up just in time to see Seth scowl, and to see Mahaado and Karim try to get up behind him.

"T-the high priests!" the other guard exclaimed, and bowed, "Please, forgive us! We couldn't see you in the dark." Seth's face didn't soften.

"Just open the gate and let us through," he demanded coldly. The guards blinked, and then looked at one other, as though they couldn't figure out what exactly they should do. To them, rules were rules, and not even the high priests could be exceptions… could they?

"Sorry, lord priest, but orders are orders," one guard piped, lowering his spear, "We're not to open the gate except on schedule. Even Knight Sith had to wait, and she was in a real hurry." Seth growled angrily, trying hard not to climb down and throttle the guard, but Mahaado managed to intervene before Seth's temper could hit.

"Wait… Knight Sith _was_ here?" Mahaado asked calmly, "How long ago?" The guards looked at one another again.

"About midday, or just after," the first guard replied, "We had just begun to close the gates, and we almost didn't let her through. But when the pharaoh showed up, we didn't have a choice." Even Seth's eyes widened as he heard the pharaoh being mentioned. Karim climbed back onto his horse and trotted over.

"The pharaoh was here?!" he cried, completely shocked. The guards nodded.

"Yes. He followed her out to the gates. He said he had a feeling he sent her out too late," the second guard answered, and chuckled, "The look on her face when she found out he followed her was priceless. I thought for sure he'd keep following her, too, but he went back as soon as she was through the gate." Karim and Seth looked at each other, but Mahaado was the one who managed to get the gate opened.

"That's why we're here," Mahaado said, causing Seth to snap his neck around, "The pharaoh sent us to find her. He fears he made a mistake sending her alone." Seth blinked, unable to believe what he heard. Mahaado just lied! Although some of it was true, the pharaoh _didn't_ send all of them, and chances are he wouldn't have any idea what was going on if he was asked. The guards spoke to each other, and then seemed to have reached an agreement. One of them went to a turning wheel and spun it, causing the gates to rise. The other nodded when the gate was fully raised.

"There. I'll allow you three to go through," the guard said, "Just be careful. Monsters are all over the place." He gave a strong salute, and watched as the three priests rode out of the gate, and the gate once again rumbled shut. Eventually, the whirling sand made it impossible for him to see anything, and he turned to his cohort.

"Do you think it was safe letting them out there?" he asked, sitting back down. The second guard, who wiped his forehead with a cloth, shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but if the pharaoh ordered them to go, we can't stop them," he replied plainly, "All we can really do is wait here for them to return."

"Let's just hope they have enough supplies. The northern expanse is brutal," the first guard said, sighing, "But they ARE priests, so they should be all right." The two guards continued to stare at each other. Neither one seemed sure that the high priests would be okay, but neither voiced it. All they really could do was to wait.

-----------------------------(End chapter)

And another chapter is done! Now, our motley assortment of priests finally head into the northern part of the desert to search out Sith, and stop Seth's little mistake. But can they find her before something eats or kills her? And what will the pharaoh say if he finds out Mahaado lied? And, why did the guards say something so ominous? Did the priests actually forget something important? Find all of the answers next chapter, so click that Review button!


	3. The trio of Priestly Dancers

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does. I tried to buy Mahaado, but Takahashi said $5 wasn't enough.

At the palace, the three remaining priests, along with the pharaoh, had gathered in the audience chamber to begin a nightly court that was forced to take place. As Atemu sat, he looked around and saw that not only was Mahaado and Karim gone, but Seth was also missing. He blinked. He remembered telling Mahaado to leave and find Sith, but why was Seth gone? Atemu leaned towards Siamun.

"Siamun, where is Priest Seth?" Atemu whispered, as Shaddah and Isis nervously shuffled around. Akunadin was also glancing around to see where Seth was, and he had a cross look on his face. Obviously, he wanted to yell at whoever had neglected a direct order from the pharaoh. Siamun tilted his head, and then snapped his fingers.

"I don't know, great king," Siamun replied in his usual cheery tone, "He did look worried at dinner, and then he rushed right to his room. I don't think he's feeling well." Atemu closed his eyes and nodded as a guard walked in.

"Pharaoh, shall I open the court?" he asked, setting his spear upright. Atemu opened one eye and shook his head.

"No, not until Priest Seth is here," Atemu replied, "Priests Mahaado and Karim won't be joining us. Please go and make sure Seth is all right." The guard nodded, picked up his spear, and ran out of the room quickly. Atemu looked around again, and felt very empty as he looked through the audience chamber. With two priests missing, along with Seth's absence and Sith's journey, everything felt that much emptier. By now, he'd be asking Sith to put her weapon away, and he started to miss that a bit. But the sound of many guards running in snapped Atemu from his thoughts.

"Pharaoh!" they yelled, all crowding into the room, "Priest Seth isn't in his room! He isn't in the palace at all!" Atemu gasped and stood up, his cape ruffling from the speed at which he moved.

"What!? What do you mean, 'he's not in the palace!?" Atemu demanded, "Where is he?" Shaddah and Isis started to inch away, as they knew exactly where Seth had gone to. Or at least they had an inkling.

"We're not sure, sir! We're asking the guards in the city to look for him, but nothing's shown up yet," one of the guards replied dutifully, "But we'll find him, even if it takes all night." Atemu sighed and sat down. As the guards continued to talk to him, both Isis and Shaddah decided to just walk through the door, hoping no one would see them. Unfortunately, they forgot all about Akunadin, and he spotted them immediately.

"Where are you two going!?" he called, causing Shaddah to jump. Isis turned slowly, hoping she could pull off a lie.

"We're going to find Priest Seth for you," she answered nervously. At the same time, Shaddah had gotten up and yelled, "It's too late! They know! Just run, Isis!" With that, he grabbed Isis by the wrist and pulled the poor priestess out of the audience chamber and down the stairs, not caring if he scared the servants, guards, or anyone else who happened to get in the way. Along the way, they happened to pass a young blonde boy who was practicing a healing spell. He snapped around as he saw Isis.

"Sister, where are you going!?" he called, but got no response as guards came out of the audience chamber and were rushing towards the two. The boy screamed and jumped off the banister, landing on a small crowd of people below.

"Come back here!" the guards kept saying, but it slowed neither priest down as they continued to run out. Even Atemu's voice carried through the entire palace as he ordered Shaddah back, but it was to no avail. Finally, though, one loud screech echoed throughout the palace, and everyone felt the pharaoh's fury with that one scream.

"_HOW DARE YOU TWO LEAVE MY CHAMBERS LIKE THAT!_"

---

Meanwhile, Seth, Mahaado, and Karim were riding through the desert, leaving the lights of the city gates and not caring to turn back. So far, they managed to just get out of the city, but now was the hard part. They had to find Sith, and she could be anywhere. But aside from the swirling sands near the gate, the desert was relatively calm, and very quiet. Karim slowed down a little, as he pulled alongside Mahaado.

"The desert seems calmer than usual," Karim observed, glancing toward the side, "Should that make us worry?" Mahaado bit his lip and hesitated to answer.

"I'm not sure. The sand looked sure to kick off, but it died down only a minute ago," Mahaado replied, and shivered, "Also, I feel as though some mighty force is digging my grave. As though we've angered someone very important by being here." Karim arched a concerned eyebrow, but Seth snorted with disapproval.

"Oh please. It's just nerves, you two," Seth stated, rolling his eyes as they continued through the sand, "As for the sandstorm, I say we just count our blessings. It'll be so much easier to see landmarks without all that swirling sand to block our view." Mahaado and Karim looked at one another again, then seemed to think it best not to argue with Seth. At least not for now. So, for a short while, they trotted on with little distraction. That is, until Seth reached into one of the saddlebags, cursed, and then reached into another. Obviously, he was looking for something. When he didn't find it, he turned to Mahaado.

"I'm thirsty," Seth said, frowning, "Give me some of your water." Mahaado blinked, and stopped abruptly.

"What do you mean, my water?" Mahaado asked slowly, "I don't have any water either. I didn't pack the food." Seth turned sharply to Karim.

"Please tell me you have some form of liquid," he said, but Karim shook his head with an amused fashion.

"No. I thought you were packing the food, Seth," Karim replied, almost chuckling. Seth clenched his teeth and twitched, also stopping his horse, who whinnied in protest. Mahaado almost backed away in fear, but Karim had no intention of letting Seth scare him.

"If I have no food, and neither of you packed any food," Seth began, and then threw his head up to the sky and screamed, "_WE DON'T HAVE ANY FOOD!?_" A very long series of curses and screams followed, and this time Mahaado did back away. When Seth had taken to taking off his hat and letting his horse trample it, that's when Karim decided to step in. Since Seth had gotten off of his horse to scream, Karim hopped off his own horse and walked over to Seth, slapping him right across the face. That shocked the angered priest, who shot Karim an icy glare.

"Priest Seth, snap out of it!" Karim demanded, gently taking Seth's shoulders and shaking him back to his senses, "It'll be fine. There is no need for foul language." Seth calmed down a little bit, but he tugged at Karim's robes all the same.

"But we have no food! We can't get back into the city, and we have nothing to eat or drink!" Seth cried, and Karim saw that for once, he genuinely looked very scared, "We're going to die out here!" Personally, Mahaado felt that Seth was blowing this way out of proportion, but he didn't mention his opinion. Karim patted Seth's shoulder and brought out a small pouch from the inside of his robe.

"Seth, it's all right," Karim spoke calmly, walking Seth back to his horse, "I have money. I'll buy us some food at the next town." Seth climbed onto his horse, and Karim handed him his trampled, dirty helmet, which he dusted off and put on his head.

"But what about water?" Seth asked, still uncharacteristically worried, "And what about getting some sleep?" Mahaado trotted next to Seth as Karim climbed onto his horse as well.

"We're high priests. Karim and I can go for days without sleep," Mahaado replied, leading the way, "Water might be a problem, but we should be fine until we reach the next town." With that, Mahaado trotted off again, with the other two close behind. Despite their reassurance, Seth still was worried about water, but he knew better than to complain, at least with Karim around. Besides, he had to save his energy. The northern expanse was the hugest part of the desert, and he still hadn't forgotten about the monsters that were supposedly roaming through. For a while, all was peaceful. They had gone a good twenty miles before Seth decided to ruin the peace by another complaint.

"Can we stop? I'm getting tired," Seth said, pulling his horse's reigns. It gave a mighty grunt and kicked the ground angrily. Mahaado and Karim slowed, and looked at each other, trying to decide what to do. Rest would've been appreciated, but they both wanted to find Sith and leave as soon as possible. Finally, though, a decision was made. Karim hopped off his horse once again, and unloaded a saddlebag. It had a few blankets in it, which he set down.

"We'll rest for a while," Mahaado said, as he got off and went to help Karim, "But we leave first thing when the sky begins to brighten a bit. I don't want to be here for long." Seth nodded and dismounted his horse, too, but unlike Mahaado, he had no intention of helping to set up their small camp. Instead, he sat on a large rock and watched as Mahaado began to look for some form of food, whether it was an animal or a veggie of some kind. But in the end, they ended up eating nothing. After that, Karim had decided that Seth would take the first watch shift, since he didn't do anything to help them. Mahaado had already fallen asleep, and it didn't take long for Karim to nod off, either. Seth sat on his rock and looked at them grumpily, as his horse snorted with what appeared to be mock humor.

"We can live for days without sleep!" Seth spat sarcastically, mocking Karim, "Yeah right. You two are sleeping like logs. Well, at least I can complain and you both won't start lecturing me about my duties or anything. I get enough of that from Siamon." Seth laid back a bit and looked at the inky black sky. The stars dotted them in a pattern that looked like a cat with a spiked tail. He once saw a monster like that. It was pure black, with red eyes and a long tail. It belonged to Sith…

"Gah! Get out of my mind, you stupid knight!" Seth yelled, bolting up again and shaking his fist at the cat constellation, "I know I did a stupid thing! Just shut up and let me find you!" As Seth yelled, one of the horses whinnied angrily. Seth stopped ranting and heard rustling nearby, along with a chuckle. Seth blinked, fearing the worst. He edged closer.

"Mahaado? Karim? What the hell are you two doing?" he called, but when he went to look, neither Mahaado nor Karim were even up. The chuckle came from the man standing over them, gripping a small pouch. When he saw Seth, he grinned and vanished quickly, leaving only a flash of red in his wake. Seth's eyes widened as he saw, and he blinked again in disbelief. Then he screamed and shook Mahaado.

"WAKE UP! Wake up, wake up!" Seth yelled, and Mahaado slowly opened his eyes as Seth began to do the same with Karim. Mahaado rubbed his head and put his veil back on, still unable to figure out what Seth could've been yelling about.

"What's going on?" Mahaado asked, as Karim tried to readjust his circlet. Seth twitched in paranoia and pointed to where the man once stood.

"WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!" Seth screamed, frenzying the horses even more, "Some stupid thief in a red cloak took your money, Karim!" Mahaado was sure the horses would die if Seth didn't stop yelling, but when Karim checked his own robe and his saddlebag and couldn't find the money, he too screamed a bit. Mahaado sighed, wondering how he managed to live with them and their constant screaming.

"Who robbed me!?" Karim demanded, looking around frantically. But all he could see was sand and a pyramid in the distance. Seth managed to calm down enough to speak in normal decibels.

"It was some man in a red cloak. I'm pretty sure it might've been Bakura, but I couldn't see his face at all," Seth explained through gasps for air. Mahaado and Karim looked at each other, both of them arching an eyebrow.

"I don't see Bakura anywhere, though," Mahaado stated, tilting his head, "Did he use Diabound to escape?" Karim nodded his head slowly.

"Most probably. If Seth saw him, he'd have to in order to get away fast enough," Karim concluded. Mahaado nodded in agreement, but Seth began to flip out again.

"Who cares how he _got away_! We have to find him _NOW_! He stole our money!" Seth cried, rolling up the blankets and stuffing them in whatever bag could fit them, "Without money, we can't eat, and I'm not going to eat sand again." As soon as the blankets were put away, Seth hopped onto his horse and dashed off towards the direction Bakura had disappeared in. Mahaado and Karim were speechless as they looked at their frightened horses. Finally, Karim managed to speak as he mounted his horse.

"Let's follow him before he gets lost," Karim commanded. Mahaado sighed, but got onto his horse and followed Karim anyway. Once again, nothing was said as they dashed through the desert, although the horses whinnied when the sand began to pick up and swirl through the air again. Thankfully, it was still clear enough to see, but there was no sign of Bakura, or of Sith ever having gone through. Finally, Seth stopped, and took a good look around. Mahaado pulled up next to him, and Karim stopped a little farther behind.

"What is it, Seth?" Mahaado asked, when Seth dismounted his horse.

"We're near a town," Seth replied, "I bet we can get some supplies there. And maybe someone saw Bakura run through here." Mahaado looked at Karim, who shrugged and got off his horse to follow Seth.

"How can we get supplies? We don't have any money," Mahaado stated plainly, climbing down and tying the horses to an old post. Seth stopped to think about that for a minute, and then simply shrugged it off as a minor setback.

"I'm sure someone has odd jobs they need us to do," Seth replied casually, continuing on towards a small, dirty town. Despite it being midnight, all of the houses were lit, and people were bustling through the streets, though most of them looked like drunk men. Seth barely heard Mahaado call out as a rambling drunk walked past.

"What kind of town is this!?" Karim asked, pulling Mahaado away from a drunk who was making a grab for his hair. Mahaado, out of pure fear, clutched Karim's arm and didn't let go until they were inside of a small inn.

"I want to leave. Now," Mahaado said firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. Karim patted his back sympathetically, but Seth merely looked around. The inn was nearly empty, save for the innkeeper.

"Relax. I'm going to have a chat with that man," Seth said, and walked over to the bar, "I demand that you tell me if there's any jobs that need to be done." Obviously, Seth thought that force was the best way to go. The innkeeper looked up at him and sneered.

"Yeah, and who wants to know?" he asked mockingly, washing a dirty cup and setting it down. Seth narrowed his eyes and brought out his Millennium Rod.

"A high priest from the pharaoh's court," Seth replied icily, "Now tell me what you know and I won't have to kill you." Mahaado's eyes widened, and both he and Karim grabbed Seth's arms and pried the rod away from him. The innkeeper perked an amused brow.

"Oh really? Well, then, I suppose you'll never work here then," the innkeeper said, polishing another rather dirty cup, "Now get out, scum." Seth twitched angrily, so Mahaado decided to try and reason with the innkeeper peacefully.

"Please, good sir," Mahaado began politely, "We were recently robbed in the desert and we're desperate for money. If there is anything available… we'll do anything." The innkeeper seemed to be considering Mahaado's story, as he set the second glass down. He sighed, and then pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Mahaado. It was a flyer for a dancing job.

"It ain't much, but it's what we got here," the innkeeper said, "I'm holding a show in an hour for the locals, but our dancing girls backed out. We need someone or there'll be a riot." Mahaado's eyes nearly bugged out of his head in pure disgust, and even Karim flinched at the idea. But Seth grinned.

"We'll take it," he said, and both Mahaado and Karim screamed. Mahaado grabbed Seth's shoulders and shook him.

"Are you crazy!? We can't accept this job!" Mahaado cried, exasperated, "It's… it's… It's indecent!"

"Not to mention that I just don't want to do this!" Karim added, throwing his hands up, "Can't we just clean dishes or something?" Seth narrowed his eyes as Karim and Mahaado continued to show their displeasure. Finally, he snapped and just screamed at them.

"_DO YOU TWO WANT MONEY OR NOT!?_" Seth shrieked, causing Mahaado to cower slightly before composing himself, "Look, I don't want to dance for a bunch of commoners, either, but it's all we have. Do you want to go without food until we reach another, possibly worse town than this?" The other two priests looked at each other, and then shook their heads like scared children. Seth grinned again and handed the innkeeper the flyer.

"We're taking the job, old man," Seth said, as Karim sighed in defeat, "Just show us where we get ready." The innkeeper nodded and led the three into a back room where a rack full of costumes hung, along with some mirrors, and smaller rooms, perhaps dressing chambers. As Mahaado followed Karim and Seth in, the innkeeper closed the door and told them what to do, as he walked back to the bar.

"As soon as you three are dressed, knock on the door and I'll let you out," the innkeeper instructed. It took close to forty minutes, but everyone managed to pick out something. Seth looked about as close as a male gypsy could, and he sat very crossly, waiting for the other two. Karim came out next, looking basically the same except that he was wearing some sort of pants. Mahaado, however, refused to come out.

"I'm sure it's not that bad!" Karim tried to encourage, "Look, I'm going out and Seth looks like a fool! Can't you just show us?" Seth scowled even more at the remark, and Mahaado again refused.

"No! I'm not going!" Mahaado hissed, "I'm not performing for anyone, especially men! And especially not in my present costume!" Karim looked down, trying to think of anything he could say to help Mahaado, but his mind remained blank. It was finally Seth who once again broke the peace.

"Just get out here!" he yelled, busting the door down and grabbing Mahaado's wrist, pulling the poor priest from his dressing room. And Karim saw why Mahaado wasn't going to let himself go out there. Mahaado, despite all of his pride, was in a dancer suit. And, it was specifically for a woman. Mahaado looked like a woman, and Seth could only laugh.

"Mahaado!? You… YOU'RE DRESSED AS A WOMAN!" Seth roared with laughter, "Do you know how ridiculous you look?! Why on earth did you choose that!?" Mahaado looked away, his face stained with red from humiliation. Thankfully his long hair hid the tears that were starting to fall down his face.

"Because everything else looked worse," Mahaado said dryly, his voice cracking with anger, "I… I didn't think I could look this bad…" Seth snorted and was about to laugh again when Karim punched him in the jaw, sending the younger priest flying across the room.

"Would you be silent for once, Seth?" Karim asked, though he meant it much more as a demand, "Mahaado is doing his best. I think he actually looks really nice. No one will recognize him anyway." Mahaado blinked, and looked at Karim, very surprised. He didn't actually expect anyone to stand up for him.

"T-thank you, Karim," Mahaado said, and nodded, "Shall we go?" Karim perked a confused eyebrow.

"You're actually going to head out there?" he asked, "I didn't think you wanted to do this." Mahaado slumped a bit and shook his head as Seth managed to get up from being hit.

"I don't, but we don't have much choice now," Mahaado stated, "Let's just go and do this. The sooner we finish, the sooner we leave." Karim nodded in agreement, and Seth opened the door slightly, peeking through. Although it hadn't been an hour, the inn was slowly packing up with people. And, true to what the innkeeper had said, most of them were men. Very big, drunk men, most probably thugs in Seth's mind. He shivered and turned back to the other two.

"Everyone's already out there, I think," Seth whispered, "Are we truly ready?" Karim nodded, for both him and Mahaado. Mahaado's skin paled noticeably, but he didn't say another word as Karim led him towards the door to the outside. Seth walked out and made his way to the small stage-like area, climbing the steps and ignoring the remarks the spectators were giving him. Karim followed, with less attention, which he was grateful for. But unfortunately for Mahaado, being dressed as a woman was a curse as he made his unhappy way to the stage. Men all over roared with delight, and all Mahaado could do was shiver and try to keep calm. Unfortunately, any calm he felt instantly disappeared when he was pushed to the middle of the stage. Someone started playing a drum-like instrument, and Mahaado felt like throwing up. Seth, of course, started dancing, and Karim just didn't do anything. He was looking at Mahaado with worry.

"Come on, what's the problem!?" someone from the crowd asked, throwing a coin on stage. Mahaado backed away, petrified at this point. This was definitely something he didn't want to do. He took a horrified look at the crowd, and his eyes locked with those he had seen before. He saw Bakura in the crowd, right in front, and screamed. Bakura, however, took it the wrong way and smiled, waving at him.

"Hello there, cutie," Bakura said, obviously not knowing who he was actually speaking to. Mahaado twitched, grabbed Karim's arm, and did something he didn't think he had the guts to do.

"I'm not taking this anymore. We're out of here!" Mahaado snapped, pulling Karim with him as he jumped off the stage, past a large group of men at a table, and landed gracefully near the door. He threw it open and ran out with Karim. Seth saw, smirked, and grabbed every piece of money he could before following suit, leaving an angry, confused, and dazzled crowd behind.

"Where are they going!? They're not done yet!" someone shouted, and soon everyone was pushing themselves toward the door, trying to get out. Only Bakura managed to escape, realizing who he was trying to flirt with. The innkeeper shook his head as he watched his inn be ripped apart by an angry mob of drunken men.

"I told them an angry riot would start…" he said, washing a third glass as the door frame gave way and snapped.

Meanwhile, Mahaado, Karim, and Seth were running as fast as they could to where they'd left their horses. Seth had stuffed the money they made into his costume's pocket, and thankfully Karim had their regular clothes somewhere. But when they got to the post, they realized another problem. Their horses were gone.

"Where the hell are our horses!?" Seth yelled, looking around. Karim and Mahaado glanced at each other frantically, until someone whistled. Mahaado reeled around, and saw someone wave at them.

"Looking for these, priests?" that voice belonged to none other than Bakura, as he came riding up on his black horse, the other three horses trotting behind him, "I thought I recognized two of you."

"Bakura!" Mahaado and Karim both exclaimed in unison, "What are you doing here!?" Bakura grinned, obviously amused with something.

"I'll answer that as soon as I know why _you're_ in a dress," Bakura said to Mahaado, arching an interested eyebrow. Mahaado hung his head and sighed miserably. He would never, ever live this experience down.

"We had to find a job to make some money," Mahaado said quietly, "We were robbed…" Bakura blinked, and suddenly felt a little guilty. It was technically his fault, since he was the one who stole from them and blew their cash on alcohol and food. No one said any more on the matter, as they all had an idea of what happened. So, Karim asked their question again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Bakura snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.

"Me? I was just getting some food, and a little entertainment," he replied, grinning all the while, "As a thief, I'm not welcome in the city near the palace, so I decided to make do here. Especially when I saw that lovely lady, Knight Sith, passing through here." Seth's eyes widened at hearing Sith's name. He spun Bakura around to face him.

"What!? Sith was here!?" he asked. Bakura's grin grew, and he nodded evilly.

"Yes. Actually, she was here for nearly the whole afternoon. She left around dusk," Bakura said, and then began to drift off, "I think she liked me. All she did was threaten to cut my head off when I hit on her…" Karim frowned, and Seth took the Millennium Rod and hit Bakura on the head with it, snapping the thief out of his daydream and erupting a curse from him.

"Bakura, where exactly did she go?" Mahaado asked, and Bakura heard the seriousness in his voice, "Did she say?" Bakura thought about it, recalling their small encounter, and nodded.

"Yes. She said she was heading northwestward, towards the Central Spire in the middle of the northern expanse," Bakura replied, and looked a bit worried, "Though I can't think of what business such a beauty has there. It's swarming with monsters near there, and it's hot as hell. I offered to… escort her and she said no." No one except Bakura was particularly surprised by this, as they all rolled their eyes, Karim taking out their clothes and throwing them to the respectful owner. Mahaado and Seth dashed toward a secluded spot to change as Karim simply tied his sash over his chest.

"Bakura, do you know where the Central Spire is?" Karim asked, as Seth reappeared, "We need to find Sith immediately." Bakura nodded, but snapped his fingers.

"I'll take you there myself," he stated, "I know my way through here, and I promise I won't kill you yet. Besides, I might see Knight Sith again. Maybe I can convince her to…" Seth decided to break in, as he climbed his horse again.

"Wonderful, great, swell, and dandy. Can we get moving?" Seth asked, as Mahaado came out and got onto his horse, with Karim following. Bakura sighed, and nodded.

"Fine. It's right this way," Bakura said, "Just stay close. There will be monsters running around…" With that, all four of them trotted off towards where Bakura indicated the Central Spire to be.

"Thankfully, I have Diabound with me."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Well, another crazy experience in Seth's miserable life is done! With Bakura now on their side, can Seth and pals find Sith? Will she still be at the Central Spire? Is Bakura truly trustworthy? And what about the pharaoh, and his court? Find out the answers to these questions next chapter, so click that Review button!


	4. From Sand into Ice

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does, and he's a genius for creating it.

At the palace, chaos seemed to have subsided, at least in the courtroom. The guards, unable to locate Isis or Shaddah, had come back. Siamun was standing nervously next to the pharaoh, who sat in his throne, arms crossed and angry. Ahkenaden stood on the court's floor alone, as he was the only priest left.

"Great pharaoh," one of the guards bowed, and continued, "I realize we are short of judges, but shall we open court now? We cannot wait forever." Atemu was still quite cross, and the mention of his rather unloyal priests definitely didn't improve his mood. He glared at the guard, who shivered, seeing his king angered.

"What court do we have!?" Atemu asked, grumpy, "We have one priest! Just one! My knight's alone in the desert, two of my priests are after her, two more ran away, and Seth is Ra-knows-where! We don't have a court right now!" The guard blinked, never having known Atemu to be this unreasonable. He glanced back at a few other guards near the entrance, and all of them shrugged as well. He turned back to Atemu.

"Sir, I know that there has been much excitement, but you must calm down," the guard urged, and Atemu's eyes turned to slits, "We… we can judge the… prisoner…" The guard stopped talking as Atemu had actually stood up. And now he was walking right toward the poor man, who just wanted to run right now.

"What part of "we don't have a court" do you not understand?" Atemu asked, crossing his arms again, "You cannot judge a person! Only my priests can, and they're gone! So no, we will not open the court!" The first guard dropped his spear in pure terror, so another guard came up to help him. He saluted to Atemu.

"Then shall we simply put the man in jail?" the second guard asked. Atemu calmed down, waved his hand in dismissal as he turned back to the throne, and sat down again.

"Yes, sure, fine, whatever!" Atemu cried, quite unbefitting a pharaoh, "Do whatever you want with him! It's not like my priests can stop you!" The two guards looked at each other, and then turned and walked towards the other crowd of guards as they held a man, obviously the prisoner in question. As they walked through, the guards turned to each other.

"What is the pharaoh's problem? I've never seen him like this before!" the first guard hissed, keeping his voice low. The second guard shook his head.

"He's also never lost most of his court before, either," the second guard replied, "If you ask me, I think something's been going on between him and his knight. If you know what I mean." The first guard had to stifle a laugh.

"Hush! He'll hear you!" the first guard snapped, as they gossiped like women. What they failed to notice was that Atemu had already heard them. By some pure act of the gods, he was right behind them.

"And, by chance, what DO you mean?" Atemu asked, annoyed. The guards screamed, and then stuttered as they turned around to face their king again.

"Well, uh… it's just that… you know," the guards spoke in unison, "You're just been protective, and she's been rather bold, and…" Atemu's eyes narrowed.

"And is this a problem?" he asked, as the guards backed away again.

"N-no! It's just," the second guard said, and then spat everything out at once, too quickly, "We just think you're being cut off!" He realized his mistake too late. If Atemu was angry before, he would be a nightmare now. He twitched angrily, not just for the accusation, but because it concerned Sith. Wind blew throughout the palace.

"_GET OUT OF MY SIGHT NOW!_" Atemu roared, and all of the guards ran like scared schoolgirls. Even the prisoner ran like a bat out of hell. Slowly, but surely, the pharaoh was running out of supporters.

---

Meanwhile, the three priests and the thief, Bakura, dashed through the desert as it slowly went through a miraculous transformation. The winds grew stronger, the air cold with the arctic chill. They had to be close to the northern expanse. The sky began to brighten, and Mahaado realized it was close to morning.

"Bakura, how long have we to go?" he asked, and Bakura narrowed his eyes. Looking ahead, and using Diabound to scan the great distance, Bakura saw the endless plain that was the desert. He also saw the Central Spire, though it was very far away.

"A good while," Bakura replied, "And don't expect it to warm up, either. The farther north we go, the colder it'll become." Seth moaned miserably, and shivered. He'd never traveled this way before, and so he never felt just how cold the desert could actually be. A pang of guilt hit him again, as he remembered that Sith was also suffering the cold. But unlike him, she had no one with her.

"Will we need to travel all day!?" Seth asked, using one arm to rub his cold back and the other to keep his horse's reigns in check. Bakura rolled his eyes, and nodded.

"Of course we will. The spire is simply a check point," Bakura snapped, though he didn't look back, "It's not something we can go into, so I doubt she'd stay long, but we can't rest and let her get away." Karim agreed with him, and Mahaado simply nodded. Seth also agreed, except that it was Bakura speaking.

"We? You're simply a guide, thief. We don't plan on keeping you," Seth sneered, and Bakura simply ignored the tone as he asked, "Why _are_ you helping us, anyway?" Bakura also ignored Seth's question, so Mahaado decided to inquire.

"It does seem rather odd. I thought you wanted to kill us," Mahaado stated. Bakura sighed, and slowed so he could ride next to Mahaado. He at least somewhat respected Mahaado, though he wouldn't admit it.

"And I do. But you're looking for Knight Sith, and I like her," Bakura replied, "If I help you, I get to see her. It's purely out of selfishness. Don't mistake my aid for friendship." Mahaado and Karim were both speechless, so Bakura sped ahead to keep the lead. When he was out of earshot, Seth finally spoke.

"I don't trust Bakura in the least. I say we cut him loose and leave him here," Seth suggested, "I know what he's up to. He'll help us until we find the knight, then he'll attack afterwards."

"I don't know. He doesn't seem like he's all that into hurting us right now," Karim observed, squinting to keep the thief in his sight, "He's had enough chance to strike, and he's yet to take it. Seth, even if you're correct, we cannot leave him here." Seth looked at Karim, eyes wide with both concern and anger. He was actually suggesting they trust the king of thieves!

"I think the desert's driven you mad, Karim," Seth stated bluntly, "Did you hear what you said? You want to trust the most dangerous thief along the Nile!" Mahaado crossed his arms, somehow still holding onto his horse.

"We wouldn't have to if you hadn't complained about resting, Seth," Mahaado reminded, "Without him, we wouldn't be able to find the spire. But also, without him, we wouldn't know Sith was even there. He's helped us already." Seth twitched, absolutely furious with Mahaado for siding with Karim. And he was just told another thing was his fault, which he hated even more. Silently, he cursed Mahaado for 1000 years. But that curse was broken as Bakura yelled from the distance.

"Are you three coming!? Or shall I wait here and get myself lost?" Bakura asked impatiently. Seth was about to scream until he saw that Mahaado and Karim had sped up their horses. Cursing once more, Seth did the same, not wanting to be left behind. They kept heading northwest in silence. And they noticed Bakura was right about the air. Even as the moon began to set and the sky brightened more and slowly more, it became colder. The wind's roar became stronger, and new scents became noticeable. Seth smelled not just sand, but water, snow, plants, and dirt. They were almost foreign to him, and he realized just how far they went in one night. Or perhaps the wind was just much too strong, blowing those scents from far away. Whatever the cause, the scents caused Mahaado to stop suddenly, as he sniffed and turned his head. Seth looked at where his gaze was pointed, and saw outlines in the desert. Big, lumbering outlines, like those of dangerous monster ka, but these were no spirits.

"What _are_ those?" Mahaado asked, squinting his eyes to see. Seth couldn't see beyond the swirls of sand, save for the dark shadows of the monsters. They would be very huge up close, full of spikes and claws, and possibly wearing chains. Even at the distance, their footsteps were heard. Bakura had stopped as well, and saw the monsters just as much as Mahaado had. He was tense, Seth noticed.

"Ragmeroths," Bakura growled, "Knight Sith mentioned them when she passed through the town back there." Mahaado shivered a bit, even though in truth, he had no idea what a Ragmeroth actually was.

"Are they dangerous?" Karim asked, and Bakura nodded very slowly.

"Incredibly so," Bakura replied grimly, "I've only seen one, but it was terrifying. It's easily as big as any pyramid, and it can toss anything into the air with its tusks. It's like a cross between a terrible horned lizard and an oversized jackal." Not even Seth argued about the monster's strength as they continued to watch it from the distance. No, not just one, there were probably three out there. They seemed to be prowling.

"What are they looking for?" Seth asked, arching a bewildered brow. Bakura gave him a short glance before answering.

"Magical remnants," Bakura replied, and his voice grew quieter, "From Knight Sith." Everyone's eyes widened in terror as they all asked the same question.

"What!?"

"That's the only thing that could lure them all over there," Bakura stated, "The moon glow from her wings. She's very powerful, but I doubt she could take them on." Mahaado looked at Karim with more fear than a mother who'd lost her child.

"What if she's been…" Mahaado couldn't finish his sentence as he clutched his chest. But Bakura shook his head.

"She hasn't. She's still out there, but she'll be harder to find now," Bakura replied, assuring Mahaado, "She's probably hiding somewhere, and I don't blame her." Though the priests kept silent, they didn't blame Sith either. They edged a bit closer toward the Ragmeroths, but only a minute later, Bakura stopped them.

"Thief, what are you doing!? Time is essential," Seth snapped angrily, but he didn't rattle Bakura in the least. Bakura's expression was hard, in either concentration or determination, but he continued to watch the horrible beasts for just a minute longer before he answered.

"And so is our lives," Bakura replied simply, "Those beasts are stronger than even my Diabound in this light. We can't attack them or we'll die." Karim pulled his horse's reigns as it tried to pull ahead, and looked at Bakura with concern.

"What can we do? I doubt we can simply go around them," he observed, and Bakura snorted a mocking laugh.

"You seem to be a bright one. No, we can't go around them. They'll smell us before we can take a step in their territory," Bakura began, and smirked, "Which is why we'll use Diabound. He can conceal our very presence, making our scents obscure as well. As long as we can cross before a strong sunlight bursts forth, we'll be unharmed." Mahaado and Karim glanced quickly at each other in almost a deciding way, and then agreed to Bakura's plan. Seth was reluctant, but an inability to come up with an alternative forced him to agree as well. Bakura nodded and asked everyone to stand back as he looked up at the slowly brightening sky.

"_DIABOUND, COME FORTH!_" he roared, and the wind kicked up again as his large, snake-and-humanlike spirit beast sprung from the sand, "Use your powers and conceal us all." Diabound gave a hefty growl, and did so. Soon, Seth couldn't even see Mahaado or Karim, but he knew they were there.

"Good work, Bakura!" Mahaado exclaimed, "I hate to admit it, but we wouldn't be after Sith if you hadn't helped us." Bakura, although he couldn't see Mahaado, rolled his eyes and made his horse move forward, Diabound right by his side.

"Save your patronage for later," he said bitterly, "I'm helping for Knight Sith, not for you." Mahaado nodded, a bit hurt by Bakura's words, but he said nothing. Taking Bakura's cue, the group made their way forward, and to their relief, the Ragmeroths didn't notice them at all. They kept grunting and pacing back and forth. Seth felt their hot breath, but didn't dare to wipe his forehead. He didn't want to blow their cover, as they were only less than half way across. After another few feet, however, Seth realized that what he did wouldn't matter as the worst happened. The sun poked through the midnight clouds as though time was being sped up, and Diabound was revealed, along with the men he was hiding. All of them blinked, at first unable to believe their luck.

"Uh oh…" Karim said slowly, as one of the Ragmeroths turned and sniffed. They smelled the group, and roared angrily.

"RUN!" Bakura shouted frantically, kicking his horse off, "Diabound will hold them for a while!" No one, not even Diabound, needed directing. As Mahaado, Karim, and Seth flew off to keep up with Bakura, Diabound slammed his fists into one of the charging beasts, sending it flying backwards. Another charged at the spirit, but he simply blasted it with a bolt. Feeling his orders were done, Diabound whisked off to find Bakura just as another pack of Ragmeroths emerged, even bigger than the ones before.

"Bakura, they're still coming!" Mahaado called from behind, as Diabound flew up, "Diabound's not fighting them!" Bakura turned around just long enough to see the huge herd, and cursed angrily. He turned to Diabound again.

"Go back there and destroy them!" he shouted, but Diabound grunted, "_WHAT!?_ What do you mean they're too strong!?" Bakura heaved another angry curse as Seth pulled up next to him.

"What's wrong? Why won't he fight!?" Seth demanded, as Bakura calmed himself down.

"The two from before were babies. The ones coming right now are way too strong. All we can do is outrun them!" Bakura said, as a scream emerged from in back. It was coming from Mahaado, who'd been picked up by the tusks of one of the beasts and was being thrown in the air. He flew very far, but luckily it was in the right direction. Karim was shortly next as he went hurtling by, his horse following.

"Thief, do something this instant!" Seth yelled, but Bakura too soon was also being tossed a great distance away, neither his horse nor Diabound fast enough to help him. With his master so far away, Diabound simply vanished, leaving Seth alone. He screamed and urged his horse to go as fast as possible, but it was to no good. Finally, he felt thick tusks closing in on him, and they lifted both he and his horse high, throwing them as far as the others.

When Seth finally awoke, he found that he was near water. No, not water, it was mud. It smelled of fresh water, though. Groggily, he pushed himself up and shook his head. Then he looked around. Mahaado and Karim had landed a little ahead, and Bakura was in a heap near them. Their horses miraculously survived, but something still felt wrong. Seth got up on his feet, and shivered. It was unusually cold, even for the Central Spire region. And, it was starting to snow.

"Mahaado, Karim, wake up!" Seth whispered, walking to them. He helped Mahaado sit up, and slowly, the priest opened his eyes. Karim seemed to be waking on his own as he shook his head.

"What happened? Did we all make it?" Mahaado asked stiffly, and then noticed the snow, "Where are we?"

"I don't know. We were all thrown away by those… those things," Seth replied, "If the thief can get up, he might know." Karim was already helping Bakura, who looked very sick. Diabound had suffered a lot of damage, and it affected Bakura horribly as he coughed up a little blood. He didn't even seem to notice the cold or snow.

"Wherever we are, we must be near the spire by now," Karim stated, patting Bakura's back to help him. Bakura gasped for air, and then laughed.

"We're past it," he answered weakly, taking a sip of water that Mahaado was bringing him, "We're in Nesce territory. That's why it's snowing." Karim looked over at Seth, who seemed just as freaked out.

"Isn't that where Knight Sith comes from!?" Karim asked, as Seth nodded, "Do you think she's here!?" Seth tugged his robe, as he had no idea what the answer was. Bakura was cleverer, and sniffed the air. Aside from the water, he smelled the desert, dirt, the forests beyond, and… flowers. Specifically, a rose. He grinned and the color returned to his face.

"She's here, somewhere," he said almost happily, "We're nearly there! Soon, I… I mean, _we_ can confirm her good condition to the pharaoh!" Mahaado and Karim looked at Bakura suspiciously, neither one of them believing he'd actually see the knight back safely. Not without a motive of his own, at least. Mahaado smiled amused, and then turned to Karim.

"Even if we're close, I still have a bad feeling," Mahaado stating, "I doubt this could be so easy." Karim nodded and crossed his arms.

"I feel the same, as well. Something doesn't feel normal," Karim added, looking around. The desert, although still present, was thinning severely and the sandstorm had died. Snow was slowly covering the dirt outlining Egypt and the almost invisible Nesce territories. But nothing seen was out of place.

"Maybe it's simply the cold," Seth suggested, patting a horse to assure it, "We're not used to snow." Bakura shook his head.

"No, something truly isn't normal," Bakura contradicted, as he threw up again, "Ugh… anyway, I've been here before, and I agree with your friends. Something's wrong. It's like the magic's being drained from the world beyond." Mahaado bit his lower lip nervously, and finally it hit Seth why Atemu would ever let Sith leave, despite the danger. Espers were dying, and Atemu, through his father, had an alliance to the specific king to Nesce.

"Shit!" Seth cursed, "No wonder he wanted me to help her. Without the Espers, we're vulnerable too. But why is the kingdom under attack?" He looked at Bakura, as Bakura seemed to know the most, but the thief simply shrugged.

"We need to ask Sith that," Bakura answered, "It looks like we've been dragged into some kind of conspiracy, but what links her to this? Why would the pharaoh send her alone?" Karim looked down, fidgeting. Then he answered with hesitancy.

"I think… Sith's more than she tells us," Karim said, "Her father's the chi… no, her father's the king there. Sith was put here for a reason, and I think she may be the only one who can get through the Lion's Gate. Atemu must've known that."

"Why wouldn't she tell anyone this?" Mahaado asked. Bakura snorted.

"You honestly think she'd confide in any of you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow, "She doesn't like you. And she probably wanted to keep it under cover. Do you know what would happen if her supposed royalty slipped out? The rumors alone would make it impossible for her to help us. And she's done a good deal."

"That's true," Karim agreed reluctantly, "Rumors are already starting between her and the pharaoh. Think anyone knows about what she truly is?" Seth glanced over at Karim suspiciously.

"You already do," he answered bluntly. Karim sighed, and decided to explain himself.

"I only know because I was her teacher. She told me everything," Karim said, looking toward the distance, "I promised her I'd keep her secret for her. What was I to do? I thought of her as a daughter." Mahaado and Seth looked at each other guiltily. Bakura, however, was looking at something else. Something in the distance really disturbed him.

"Everyone, look!" Bakura exclaimed, pointing. Seth and Karim ran over, and looked. A huge rocky gate stood, its doors thrown wide open. Snow swirled in through there, mixed with traces of moon glow and magic. And someone was walking through. Seth squinted his eyes to see who it was.

"Is that Sith!?" he asked, as Karim looked ahead. It was. Sith, in all her white linen and golden armor, walked through, her sword in her hand. Her expression was hard, almost angry. Her sword was glowing purple. Karim gasped when he saw her.

"She got here so quickly!" he exclaimed, in disbelief, "We truly are blessed we found her before she went through." Karim went ahead to try and stop her just as Mahaado came up. Seth made a grab for Karim's arm and missed.

"Karim, stop! You can't…" Seth was too late. Karim was nearly halfway towards her. Frustrated, Seth and Mahaado ran to catch him, with Bakura coming up last with their horses. When they reached her, Sith merely looked at them blankly.

"Sith, I'm so glad we found you," Karim said, taking her wrist, "Come back. The pharaoh is waiting for you." Sith, however, took her hand away and shook her head.

"No. Nesce is in trouble. Lion's Gate has already been destroyed. I must go through," Sith replied firmly, "I must stop them. My father may be dead, but my brother isn't, and he needs help." Sith went to go ahead, but Seth stopped her again.

"Sith, please. I was wrong to make you go alone," Seth pleaded, "The pharaoh's worried about you. Hell, everyone is. At least come back and tell him you're all right." Sith seemed to consider that, but again shook her head. Her expression softened, but her answer remained the same.

"I can't. I have no time," Sith replied, "None of you can understand. Nesce is just an ally continent to you. But it's my home. I need to stop them." Seth was speechless, being rejected by Sith. Karim also seemed to have trouble accepting her choice, and Mahaado knew better than to change her mind. Bakura decided to put his two cents in.

"Knight Sith, can't we come with you?" he asked, "Why do you need to go alone?" Sith sighed, and shook her head again.

"Because I'm an Esper. Now, I must leave. Please, tell the pharaoh I'm sorry," she said, and then added, "And please don't follow me." Then she walked through the gate to the snowy abyss beyond without even looking back. She left the four speechless as they simply watched her go. Bakura sighed and sat on the cold stone flooring of the gate's tunnel. He followed the pattern on the stone with his finger.

"So, do we follow her?" he asked, "She doesn't want us to, but we came this far to see her. I say we keep going." Mahaado looked at Karim. He was distant, and he looked very upset. Mahaado didn't blame him at all. Sith was going to possible death now.

"I agree," Mahaado said hesitantly, making Seth look at him with concern, "Sith may be an Esper, but she's still able to be killed. I can't let her die." Karim nodded.

"As I said, she's like a daughter to me," Karim added, "As her teacher, it's my duty to make sure she gets through her challenges." Seth raised an amused eyebrow, thinking all of their reasons were a bit too sentimental, but in the end, he also knew he wanted to help her as well.

"I'd just hate to see the pharaoh in such a mess over her," Seth said simply, taking his horse from Bakura and climbing onto it, "But someone needs to tell him we're going after her." Mahaado and Karim exchanged glances, neither one wanting to back down, but in the end, it was Bakura that volunteered.

"I'll tell him," Bakura said, climbing his own horse, "I shouldn't go into the Otherworld anyway. Just make sure you find her." Seth nodded, as Karim and Mahaado got onto their horses and turned towards the gate.

"Don't steal from the palace or we'll kill you," Seth warned. Bakura grinned, and nodded, taking that as another way of saying "be safe." Then he rode off, leaving the three priests on their own.

"Shall we go now?" Karim asked, after a few moments of silence passed. Seth nodded.

"Yeah. Who knows what lies on the other side, waiting for Sith?" he asked, and they started to walk through, "After all, we work for the pharaoh, and the pharaoh wants Sith back alive."

-----------------------------(End chapter)

Well, at least Seth found Sith! Unfortunately, his adventure has only started, as now he must go into the Otherworld with Mahaado and Karim in order to keep her alive. What awaits them in the snowy world of Nesce? Can Bakura deliver the message to Atemu in time? Will they catch Sith again? And will the palace court ever start up? Find out the answers next chapter, so click that Review button!


	5. The Snowridden Hunt begins

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does, and he's the best because of it.

Atemu sat once again on his throne, his left eye twitching angrily at all that happened that night. Siamun had gone and retired to his chambers, slightly in fear of Atemu dismissing him out of anger. Ahkenaden had left for his own room as well, and most of the guards were in town, avoiding the pharaoh. Atemu was alone now, and he didn't like it one bit, even if it was his own fault.

"How dare they all leave me like that!" he ranted, scowling, "I didn't order any of them to leave, did I? …well, I suppose I did scream at those guards… but they were committing a crime! Those rumors! They weren't true!" Atemu continued to rant, mostly because there was nothing else he could actually do. Without his priests, he had no court. Shaddah and Isis still hadn't been found, and Seth hadn't been seen, either. Sighing, Atemu stood up.

"I need to calm down," he told himself, "I've been acting out ever since Sith left. Yes, I miss her, but… but… Oh, who am I kidding?" He threw up his hands in frustration and walked out onto a balcony overlooking a large fountain in the courtyard. Candles had been lit, giving off a magical feeling as the sun shone. Atemu looked down into the fountain, looking at his frowning reflection.

"I want you to come back," he said, "Just come back. Forget your orders. Just come back here…please…" Atemu leaned over the railing and closed his eyes, hoping… no, praying that Sith could hear him. He began to realize he made a huge mistake when he let her leave alone. As he prayed, Atemu didn't notice that someone was riding up to the palace quickly, and leapt off of his horse, landing silently next to the pharaoh.

"Speaking to yourself again?" Bakura asked, and Atemu opened his eyes, "You know that won't help, pharaoh." Atemu turned slowly to face the would-be intruder.

"I'm praying for my knight," he replied simply, "Why are you here? Come to rob in her absence?" Bakura smiled weakly, but shook his head, which surprised Atemu. Instead, he walked inside and beckoned the pharaoh to follow him. Atemu did so, and they stopped just short of the audience chamber. Bakura let Atemu sit on the throne before relaying his message.

"I just thought you'd like to know that we've found Sith," Bakura stated, and added, "We being myself, Mahaado, Karim, and Seth." Atemu's eyes widened. Seth had gone with them? But Atemu didn't remember ordering that.

"Seth went with them?" he asked, "Oh, never mind that… Where is she? Is she safe?" Bakura nodded, but Atemu noticed that his smile faded. In fact, he looked almost regretful. Atemu had a very bad feeling, as he looked at Bakura's expression.

"She's fine, but…" Bakura sighed, as this would be hard to tell Atemu, "But she's not coming back. Not yet, anyway. She went into the Lion's Gate." He looked at Atemu, expecting some sort of response. What he got surprised him, and not in a good way. Atemu's eyes widened, and he jumped out of his throne. He was tense.

"W-what!?" Atemu cried, "No! _NO!_ I didn't order her to go through it! Why would she do such a thing!?" Bakura saw tears were welling up in Atemu's eyes, and any ill feeling he had vanished for that moment. Atemu started gasping for air, his fright taking a toll on his body.

"Pharaoh, calm down. She isn't trying to disobey you," Bakura reassured, as Atemu slowly sat himself down back on the throne, burying his face in his hands, "But the Espers are in trouble. When we arrived at the gate… something was draining the magic away. Sith said she had to go through." Atemu sighed heavily. This was his fault. Sith was risking her life, and through his own stupidity, Atemu allowed it.

"She could die," Atemu whispered, shaking from fear and anger, "She would risk her life for us?" Bakura shook his head.

"For you, pharaoh," he corrected, smiling, "She has little feeling for most of the people of Egypt, but she knows you can't handle a war. Not just yet, anyway. She wanted me to tell you that… she's sorry. She didn't want you to be angry, though." Atemu took his hands away from his face and stood up. He made a decision now. He was going to fix this mistake. Sith may have been from Nesce, but she didn't deserve to die. He was going to fix this. After all, Egypt and Nesce were allies.

"I'm going to find her," Atemu stated firmly, "I'm going into Nesce."

"What!? That's crazy!" Bakura exclaimed, as Atemu walked towards the door, "Pharaoh, you can't! Why would you!?" Atemu turned around, his frown planted deeply on his face.

"Because I'm the reason she's there at all. She may be doing her job, but I'm the one who placed her there," Atemu replied sternly, "Nesce and Egypt are allies, and if Nesce is in trouble, I want them to know we'll help them, just as they sent Sith to help us. I've made up my mind." With that, Atemu left without looking back. Bakura stood there, in complete disbelief. What was meant to be a simple message turned into another adventure. Bakura bit his lower lip, and then said the one thing he never thought he'd say.

"Wait for me! I'm coming with you!" Bakura then dashed out of the audience chamber, hoping to catch up to Atemu.

---

Nesce turned out to truly be a disastrous place as the three priests tried to walk through the snowy tundra that followed the long tunnel. As they left, it was almost like walking into a new world altogether. None of them had ever seen snow like this before, and they weren't sure they liked it. Seth shivered as he looked ahead. Though almost no time had passed since Sith had left, he couldn't see her anywhere.

"It's like she's vanished," Seth said, trying to keep himself from shivering too much, "Did she really get that far ahead?" Mahaado, who was ahead, stopped. He sighed, rubbing one of his arms.

"If she didn't, then this storm is hiding her from us," Mahaado stated, "Not that she wanted us to find her, anyway. I just hope we can find her again." As he spoke, Mahaado's teeth chattered unnervingly. That bugged Seth, and he knew they'd have to rest soon. They had limits to how long they could stand such harsh cold. Trying to take his mind off of the cold for now, he looked over at Karim.

"How do the Espers stand such bitter weather?" he asked, trying to slog ahead. Though Karim was freezing, he was too busy keeping a tight grasp on his own item and a sack of supplies to keep himself warm as he heaved heavy breaths of air.

"I'm not sure. I believe it's in their blood, though," Karim replied, tensing his shoulders up to brace against the cold, "Sith didn't explain much about her homeland. I suppose it wasn't anyone's business."

"Well, that doesn't help us _now!_" Seth spat angrily, causing Karim and Mahaado to both stop right where they stood, "What!?" When he realized they weren't following him, Seth turned around and threw up his arms. Though he didn't say it out loud, everyone heard the "Why aren't we moving!?" loud and clear. Karim handed the bag to Mahaado and crossed his arms stiffly. Seth blinked, because that was never good. Karim never made himself look so serious unless someone was in trouble. Obviously, Seth just said something insulting.

"Sith didn't realize she'd be going back so soon," Karim said firmly, as Mahaado just stood there, "Not like she had friends to talk to anyway. You cannot blame her, Seth." Seth glared angrily from Karim to Mahaado. Though barely noticeable, Seth saw Mahaado falter nervously.

"What's wrong, Mahaado? Do you have anything you'd like to add?" Seth asked. That was his second mistake. Mahaado was normally a quiet person, even when witnessing an injustice. But now he spoke. He handed the bag back to Karim and walked right up to Seth until their faces were simply inches apart.

"Yes. This would never have happened this way if you had done your job," Mahaado said sternly, and truthfully, "Sith was ambushed. That's why the gate was destroyed. She wouldn't admit it, but I saw her expression. It wasn't anger; it was defeat. If you had not been so childish, she would be safe and we wouldn't have to be here." Seth growled, furious with Mahaado yet again. But Mahaado didn't falter this time. No, he was rigid. His face was hard, but not unkind. Like Karim, he felt strongly about what he had said. And also like Karim, he spoke the truth. And even worse, where Seth thought they'd help him escape, they were just making it impossible to forget.

"You owe your life to Sith, because she's risking hers over a lie," Karim finished, his voice slowly becoming angry, "Because you didn't want to travel with her, you forced her to leave alone, vulnerable to ambush, disease, and death. And she took it without question."

"The pharaoh allowed it!" Seth cried, cutting Karim off, "He told her to leave! They knew she had to get there! They both are at fault!" Mahaado's eyes widened and he slapped Seth across the face, absolutely outraged. Seth stumbled back and fell into the soft snow, shocked at Mahaado's action. Karim was also very surprised, but inside, he was glad Mahaado was standing up to Seth. Mahaado's eyes burned with an angry fire as Seth got up and dusted the snow off of his robes.

"How _dare_ you accuse them of being at fault for what was ultimately _your_ lie!" Mahaado growled, advancing forward, "How _dare _you! You knew this mission was of urgency as well! You used that against them and forced them to make a move neither of them had wanted! To say that it's their fault… you should be locked up and jailed, Seth!" Seth huffed angrily.

"If he didn't want this, he should have made someone else go with her," Seth stated, and Mahaado lost it. Any refinement that Mahaado had learned in court vanished as he lunged at Seth, unable to control how truly angry he was with how everything had turned out. All of it came out. How angry he was that Seth would lie to Atemu and Sith, how angry he was that Seth asked him to go, how angry he was that Seth had gotten them into that dancing madness, Mahaado was ready to kill with his anger. And yet something kept him from reaching Seth as he stopped and his head fell clumsily near the snow. Mahaado looked up and saw Karim was holding his waist.

"Karim, let me go!" Mahaado hissed, quite unbefitting his usual manner. He struggled, but Karim's grasp didn't lessen.

"Mahaado, control yourself," Karim said, sternly, but with compassion, "I know you're angry, but we must never attack anyone. We are high priests, the highest class of dignity and respect we can achieve. To soil our hands with unnecessary battle would be terrible." Mahaado calmed down, but he looked at Karim with an anger Karim had never seen before.

"He doesn't deserve to be a high priest," Mahaado whispered, which thankfully Seth didn't hear. Karim patted his shoulder and let him go before turning to Seth. Seth was confused as to what he should expect, and he had the Millennium Rod out in defense. But one wave of Karim's hand told Seth to put it away, and he did. Then Karim spoke.

"Seth, your lies have caused a terrible ripple in our kingdom, and through unwanted feelings, we're compelled to right them," Karim stated, as Mahaado looked away in anger, "But do not think we'll listen to you blame our pharaoh and his knight for your atrocious behavior. Another outburst against the pharaoh and I will hold you under arrest for slander." As if to prove he would back up the threat, Karim brought out a golden rope from his bag, which glistened despite the overcast sky. Seth twitched as he saw it. They used that for the worst offenses possible when binding a particularly difficult prisoner, and Seth knew they would find him incredibly uncooperative at best.

"Fine, then don't listen to me," Seth said, though he chose his words carefully, "I didn't want this to happen to her. If I'd known, I would've taken my job. But what's done is done now. All we can do is find her and bring Sith back." Seth walked ahead, not caring if the other two were following him. Mahaado continued to stare at the snow, his face covered by the shadows from his bangs and veil. He walked forward, but Karim stopped him. Mahaado looked up into Karim's face, his own eyes stained with silent tears.

"Why must we continue, Karim?" he asked, his voice weaker than it had been, "Why should we help him? Why not send him back, or go back and tell the pharaoh the truth?" Karim tried to smile reassuringly at Mahaado, but it just wasn't there. He sighed, and patted Mahaado's shoulder.

"Because going back will do no good, my friend," Karim replied, "We have been dragged into this too much. Going back will do no good for anyone. Not for the pharaoh, not for Sith, and not for ourselves." Mahaado sniffled and wiped his eyes. He knew Karim was right, and that returning to the palace empty-handed would be worse than being here. But he truly didn't want to help Seth. Finally, though, he started to walk forward.

"I suppose you're right," he sighed, as Karim caught up with him, "As high priests, we are to protect everyone as best we can. Even Seth. But what if he pushes us to our limits?" He looked over to find Karim grinning, and mischievously at that. Mahaado raised an amused eyebrow as he added, "You have an idea?" Karim laughed.

"I don't need one," Karim replied, and slowly pointed everywhere, "Just look around, Mahaado. This place has an odd feel about it. Seth is frightened, so all we truly need to do to rattle him into his place is to fall back a few feet so he can't see us. We'll still be within a safe distance, and he'll learn his lesson soon enough. This experience is good for him, in its own way." Mahaado silently agreed as they continued through the swirl of snow. As Karim planned, he and Mahaado fell back a little to let Seth lead on. They simply walked what felt like a very steep path up what they could only assume to be a mountain of some sort. The path felt slanted, and every so often, a small rock would protrude from the blankets of snow. They couldn't see if the sun was out, nor could they see any footprints to prove Sith was still around. Seth began to get frustrated.

"How… could she… disappear like that!?" he asked, while trying to heave himself up a particularly large boulder which he intended to use as a lookout, "Even she… has to be rattled… by the snow, right?" Seth looked back, realizing no one answered him as he called, "Mahaado? Karim? Did you both fall off or something?" Karim was too busy hiding a snicker, so Mahaado answered. And that was just as well, because Karim would've given their plan away.

"We're here, Seth," Mahaado replied calmly, "We're just not used to the ice and snow. Forgive us." To keep on cue, Mahaado grabbed the boulder, and Seth helped pull him up.

"Whatever. I don't see how anyone could be used to this," Seth commented, as Karim came up, "Or how they could change their climates so suddenly. Is that healthy?" Both Mahaado and Karim knew he was referring to Sith. Karim shook his head, whistling.

"Under normal circumstances, no," Karim replied, "But Espers are different from humans. They might be able to handle that change. Sith was never fond of the heat. I'm sure she retained some force of cold inside her."

"I'm sure it's what makes her so strong, as well," Mahaado added, taking his veil off, "Aside from her natural abilities, being so close to her hometown must affect her abilities in some way, perhaps? Maybe that's why we can't find her." Seth glanced over skeptically at Mahaado. The wind blew his hair in all directions, much like it did for Sith. Seth felt another pang of guilt.

"You think she might've used extra strength to get away?" Seth asked, "How is that possible?"

"Well, one of her abilities is to leap high into the sky, giving her great distance against an attack," Karim replied, smiling, "And because she loves this sort of weather, depending on the wind, it might boost her ability to gain distance even more so. She could have already taken 3 miles within one jump." Seth's eyes widened. That was a good distance for one little leap. Sure, he'd heard rumors that Sith jumped onto her opponents in battle, but he didn't believe them… until now.

"Are you saying she jumps around everywhere she goes!?" he asked, "Why can she go so high!? What type of knight is she supposed to be?" Karim shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied, crossing his arms, "I don't question her abilities. She's an Esper; that might simply be a trait of hers. She is simply the Pharaoh's knight, and she prefers it that way. You shouldn't try to decipher her abilities." Seth glared at Karim.

"I just thought understanding her abilities would help us find her," he said defensively, "It's quite obvious she left using unnatural means." Mahaado frowned.

"And what if she did, Seth?" he asked, putting his veil back on as the wind died down, "That is not for us to question. I highly doubt your interest in her abilities has anything to do with her." Seth turned his icy glare to Mahaado, and Karim was sure he'd stumble backwards. Mahaado didn't.

"What are you implying, Mahaado?" Seth asked dangerously. Mahaado's glare matched his as he stepped closer.

"I'm implying that you aren't truly worried about Sith's abilities at all," Mahaado replied, just as grim and bitter, "I know you, Seth. You aren't one to worry for someone's power unless you want it for yourself. Or at least want to harness it for some purpose." Karim's lips tightened as he could feel the tension between the two younger priests growing, but he didn't try to stop them. Seth twitched, as Mahaado was right. He turned stiffly and walked farther up the cliff, leaving Mahaado staring angrily.

"You're more observant than I expected," Seth admitted smugly, "And yet I still want to find her, so unless you really want to fight with me on this dangerous cliff, I'd recommend shutting that oversized mouth of yours and following me." Mahaado's eyes turned to slits, and he was at a loss for words as Seth walked away. Even Karim, though usually calm, was in complete shock. He could see now why Mahaado wanted to go on without Seth. The two glanced at each other, neither of them able to speak, and then they silently followed Seth. The path led upwards at a dangerous slope, and more than once, a thin sheet of snow fell towards them, threatening to push them backwards. Still, they didn't slow down. It wasn't until Mahaado noticed something in the snow that any of them halted their pace.

"What on earth?" Mahaado asked, straying away from Karim. He saw an indent in the snow, a deep one. Walking over, he bent down. It was a slashing mark of some kind, made by most probably a sword. Near it was a set of two prints, boot prints. They were small, and barely noticeable amidst the falling snow.

"Mahaado, what did you find?" Karim's voice came, and soon Mahaado felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. Karim had come over and was now also looking at the indent. Mahaado watched curiously as Karim began to smile, nodding his head and chuckling.

"What is it?" Mahaado inquired, as Seth was walking toward them, confused as to why they'd stop despite the snow. Karim laughed once more before he answered.

"Sith has been here," he replied proudly, "And not long ago, either. This indent was made with her sword in a quick succession. I'm sure she used one jump technique after another in rapid succession to gain speed."

"That'd explain why the snow's been falling off the mountain like this," Seth mumbled, "Her landings could impact the snow, right?" Karim nodded.

"Yes, but she doesn't expect us to follow her, so she probably doesn't realize she's endangering us," Karim answered, looking over the cliff, "Judging by the angle of the indent, she jumped off the cliff toward the ridge down below." Seth squinted his eyes and looked to where Karim pointed. The snow made everything very blurry, but he could see a dark outline of shadow where the ridge split between two very large mountains. It was a very long drop, and very steep. With ice sticking out threateningly everywhere, Seth wondered just how skilled Sith truly was.

"It looks like she committed suicide," Seth commented, shrugging, "Wouldn't she simply land on the icy shards?"

"If she's an Esper, she can probably fly a little bit when she jumps," Mahaado replied, trying to look past the ridge, "We should head down there. Even with jumping, she might need some time to plan her next movement." Karim agreed, but Seth didn't see how they could get off the mountain. They were near the summit, and none of them would survive the large drop to the bottom. Even with their scriptures and magic, there was no telling of what they could do. Their magic might not even work here, in Nesce.

"Do we jump?" Seth asked. Karim shook his head grimly.

"No. We wouldn't survive," he replied, leaning against a large rock, "These mountains are vast, but I bet the Espers forged multiple paths to travel on. We'll go to the summit and look for one of those pathways, and we'll take whatever one leads to the ridge." Seth sighed, still skeptical about how the plan could turn out. He looked over the ridge again, taking in just how big Nesce truly was. At the palace, this mountain looked like a simple white pyramid poking out of a small forest, but now it seemed like an endless nightmare of snow.

"And what if there are no paths?" Seth asked, concerned, "We can't simply walk back down toward the gates, can we?" Karim closed his eyes, trying to think of an alternative. He understood why no one entered through the gates, even though they were opened. Nesce was dangerous, and nearly uninhabitable. He thought of the mountains and how Sith jumped from them. Then it hit him.

"We'll use magic," he replied, "We'll propel ourselves into the air and use the force of our magic to fly toward the ridge. Our magic should work, and it should be fortified if this is a magical realm." Seth, although frowning, thought this was a good idea. Mahaado also agreed, and with wasting no time, they rushed up ahead toward the summit. When they reached it only a small while later, the snow began to clear. They could see clouds. Thick, dark, ominous clouds that hung over the entire region, threatening more bad weather to come. And the three priests frowned. It was a depressing sight to behold.

"And to think that we're allies," Seth said quietly, "Egypt and Nesce are complete opposites. How could we survive here? How could Sith survive in Egypt, when she's been used to this cold for her entire life?" Mahaado remained silent as he dug through the small sack of supplies for the scrolls Karim had mentioned. Karim crossed his arms and looked over the horizon. Though the ridge was large, he saw that it might not have been Sith's actual target. In the far distance, on a flat area of snowy land, Karim saw a large city had been built, and in the middle was a castle. Though not styled in gold, but rather crystal and ice, it looked almost as grand as their own home. It glistened in a mysterious light, and through that light, Karim saw that there were settlements down in the ridge, on the mountains surrounding the kingdom, and even beyond that.

"That must be where she came from," Karim stated, pointing to the large castle, "Think she would've headed there?" Mahaado put the sack down and looked as well. Like Karim, he was taken in by the sight.

"Most definitely. She said the kingdom was in trouble," Mahaado replied, "If she's the princess like we suspect, then she would go there first."

"She mentioned a brother. Perhaps he's who she's going to see," Seth concluded, "Either way, we'll need to head there and get more supplies. Mahaado, do you have the scrolls?" Mahaado blinked, and rustled through the bag again until he brought out three scrolls, each tied with a blue ribbon. The ribbon glistened in the snow. Karim took all three and looked them over carefully.

"These are perfect," he said, handing Mahaado and Seth one each, "Now, listen to my plan before you open them. We must be facing the ground for this to work. When we face the ground, open up your scrolls and focus your spell onto the ground itself. The burst will knock us backwards off the cliff, but should do so in a way that we can safely fly across the ridge, toward the kingdom." Mahaado nodded, but bit his lip nervously. Seth raised a very unbelieving eyebrow.

"What!? Are you serious?" he cried, "And what if we don't make it!? What if the spells don't even work?"

"Then we make our own way down, and at worse… we die trying to get across," Karim said sternly. Seth narrowed his eyes.

"That's a comforting thought to have while we hurtle across a bottomless chasm," he said sarcastically, but the other two ignored him. Sighing, he joined them. They turned their backs to the cliff and looked directly at the ground. Opening their scrolls in perfect succession, they all chanted the words in unison, a harmony in itself. Instantly, the scrolls glowed golden, and large fireballs appeared for a brief moment before slamming mercilessly into the ground. The resulting shockwave, as Karim had planned, threw the three backwards, off of the cliff. They rose through the air at a terrifying speed, not just toward the very sun, but across the ridge as well until they began to fall. Seth heard screaming, and because of his overexerted senses, it took him a minute to realize they were the ones screaming. They were plunging toward the ground far below, and they were nowhere near the kingdom. That somehow no longer mattered to Seth as he had only one thought in his mind as they fell closer and closer to the merciless, cold ground still very far below.

"Please, don't let us die just yet!"

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Another chapter to Seth's adventure is done. Just when they thought things could get no worse, they're plunging to what could be their doom. Will they survive the plunge? And if they do, how can they find Sith again? Was that even her indent they found on the mountain summit? And, back with Atemu, will he become tangled in what could soon be a very dangerous war for both the Espers and for Egypt? Find out the answers next time, so click that Review button!


	6. Enter Cydandilus, Esper Pilot

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and I think he should win a Nobel prize for it, too.

Bursting out of the royal stables on his white mare, Atemu urged his horse forward, leaping past the frightened guards that were inadvertently in his way. Bakura had simply jumped off the palace balcony onto his horse, and was bounding to catch up. At this point, most of the guards simply ran away, either jumping into whatever would hide them or running into a tower or the palace itself as the two sped out of the courtyard and into the city. They didn't slow as they ran through the streets, causing many of the townsfolk to run screaming into houses, whether it was their own or someone else's.

"Pharaoh, maybe we should slow down," Bakura shouted, as Atemu dashed ahead, "I can't keep up!" Atemu slowed a little, but not much as he turned around to look back at the flustered thief.

"Sith's in danger! I can't let her die!" Atemu called back, as his horse suddenly whinnied angrily, throwing him off. He crashed ungracefully into the ground, and Bakura pulled to a stop next to him. Atemu got himself up as he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

"We're sorry, sir, but no one is allowed through this gate until the half point of day," said one of the watchmen from before, "Not even you, sir. For your protection." The guard glanced to his friend, who was polishing a spear. He nodded, and the guard turned back to Atemu.

"Let me pass," Atemu said sternly, "That is a direct order." The guards blinked, unsure of what to do now. Outside, it was dangerous. Monsters roamed through the desert and now with the gates to Nesce thrown open, a soft snow was beginning to drift. Could they really let their own king out there?

"Sir, we… we can't!" the second guard cried, setting his spear down, "It's too dangerous!" Atemu dusted his robe off, and adjusted his tiara before climbing onto his horse.

"I said to let me pass," Atemu said again, his frown deepening, "I know what I've decided. Now please, stand aside." The two guards were worried, but did as they were told. Atemu nodded and thanked them, then went through the gates. They also allowed Bakura to pass, and then shut the gates tightly when they were through. Atemu shivered as he came into the lone desert. The snow was falling, and though it wasn't sticking, Atemu knew it was colder than it should be.

"Looks like what Sith said was true," Bakura commented, as he came up behind Atemu, "Even if the gate was opened, snow shouldn't be reaching here."

"What could cause their magic to die like this?" Atemu asked, though it was more to himself than to Bakura. He looked around his kingdom, trying to keep himself warm. He could see patches where snow was collecting. Even the Nile was beginning to freeze up. His horse kicked the ground unhappily, as did Bakura's.

"Looks like whoever is attacking the Espers is trying to take us down with them," Bakura said quietly, "It'll be hard for the guards to patrol with this weather, which means security will be a problem. They'll exploit that. Did Sith say anything more to you about what she's fighting?" Atemu thought about it, then sighed heavily and shook his head. He realized that although she asked his permission to leave for Nesce, she actually spoke very little about the matter to him.

"No, nothing at all," Atemu admitted regretfully, "But they're who my father hired her to help us stop. I don't remember much, I was kept away from that war, but Sith was involved in it." Bakura glanced over, noting that Atemu seemed to be feeling guiltier the more they spoke about it. He actually felt bad. It technically wasn't really Atemu's fault that this was happening, that most of his court was turned upside-down, or that there was a war at all.

"We should ask her… if we can find her," Bakura said quietly, and then spoke up, "Either way, we need to get going. This weather isn't likely to let up. All we need to do is follow the air currents that carry the snow here, and they should lead us right to the gate." Atemu nodded, but remained silent. Bakura glanced at him again quickly, then led him along. This would be a long, silent trip for both of them.

---

As the three priests continued to plunge toward the ground, Seth noticed that he no longer felt anything. His body was numb from the cold, which he almost took as comforting. At least he wouldn't feel the pain of slamming into the ground, to his doom. But even with that small bit of comfort, he didn't stop screaming. At least, not until Karim got his attention.

"Seth," he said firmly, "Seth, stop! Look." Seth, who'd had his eyes closed, refused to open them. He shook his head.

"No! I'm not going to watch our plunge into death!" Seth cried, until Mahaado tapped his shoulder. In shock, Seth's eyes sprung open, and then he saw what Karim was alerting him to. They were in mid-air, floating very gently to the ground down below. Frantic, Seth looked around everywhere, trying to find an explanation as to what was happening. Neither Mahaado nor Karim had a scroll with them, so they couldn't have cast a spell.

"What's going on?" Seth asked slowly, feeling very weak as his body stopped freezing itself up, "Why are we floating!?" He looked at Karim, but he didn't have an answer as he kept Mahaado from falling over. Mahaado looked incredibly sick now that Seth got a good look at him. And his voice sounded strained as he spoke.

"An Esper must've seen us," Mahaado croaked, "I saw a faint light down below, so they must've helped us somehow…" Seth looked down, and he could see a dim light as well, but it was fading rapidly. Then, he saw that they were going to land in a very impoverished city, but there were very few Espers outside. Slowly, but surely, they landed gracefully and in one piece. As Karim helped Mahaado stay up, Seth looked around. There were almost no Espers out. The ones he did see were guards of some sort, and like Sith, they had large cat ears and black tails. They glanced at him, but said nothing to him as they urged him to keep moving.

"Wow, these people are friendly," Seth muttered, taking his helmet off and wiping the snow off, "Are you positive that we're allies with them?" Karim let one of the guards take Mahaado to a bench and crossed his arms, obviously upset with something Seth had said.

"We are, but Espers are distrustful by nature," Karim replied, a deep frown set into his face, "But we need to know where we are, and without a translator, we might not be able to speak to them. I don't know if they speak our language or not." Seth was about to say something when he saw someone behind Karim. And he recognized the harsh voice when it spoke.

"We know many languages," Sith's angry voice came, and Karim turned to face her. She was furious to see him, and it was made quite apparent with how stiff her small wings were and how far back her ears went. Seth almost felt she was intimidating.

"Sith? Was that…" Karim nearly choked in surprise at seeing the young knight again, "Were you the one who helped us fly down here?" Sith narrowed her eyes, but nodded all the same. She had a firm grip on her sword, Seth noted, but she didn't raise it to strike.

"Of course it was I. But why did you follow me!?" she demanded sternly, "I told you to leave. This is a problem for the Espers. You were not to get involved." Karim looked down, knowing that he'd made her very angry. Seth decided to match her frustration with his own.

"How about because the pharaoh's a complete wreck because you're gone and because everything's in a panic," Seth growled, "Face it, Sith. Everyone in the palace probably knows there's a war. Especially with that moronic thief having gone back to get the pharaoh." Sith didn't give a response until she heard the last sentence. Her eyes widened with worry.

"What!?" she asked, unable to believe what Seth had just said to her, "Atemu is coming _here!?_" Karim shrugged.

"We don't know," he admitted, "But Bakura went back to tell him your message. We're not sure what he decided, if anything at all." Sith stepped back, nearly stumbling. Of everything she'd encountered, this was obviously the worst she'd heard.

"Why!? Why would you get Atemu involved!?" Sith asked, both concerned, angry, scared, and confused, "And why would you think to send Bakura!? He's the worst choice you could've made! Anyone, even a slave living in the sewers, but him!" Seth and Mahaado both backed away, as Sith sounded very angry now. Karim bit his lower lip, and Sith looked at him, asking, "Who decided on his help?"

"I did," Karim replied, trying to remain firm. Sith blinked, then muttered something that sounded strangely like "I should've known."

"We had to find you! What other choice did we have!?" Seth yelled defensively, though he wasn't actually meaning to defend Karim at all, "It's not like we had much of a choice anyway. He was going to attack unless we brought him with us!" Sith, however, still didn't seem convinced that they made a good choice. She gripped her sword even harder.

"All the more reason _not_ to send him to Atemu," Sith sighed, finally getting tired enough to not yell, "Regardless of your excuse, it was a stupid decision to make. As was coming to Nesce. Why did you follow me, and why did you land here of all places?" Karim and Mahaado looked at each other, but both were wondering how they were supposed to answer without getting her even more upset. Seth took care of that.

"We followed you so you wouldn't die in the middle of nowhere," Seth replied simply, making Sith shake her head with disapproval, "And it's not like we meant to land here. It was Karim's dumb idea. Where are we, anyway?" Sith looked at Karim again, but said nothing to him. She merely perked an eyebrow before answering Seth's question.

"Right now, we're in the old part of Aeroglyph," Sith said, waving her arm to point to everything at once, "Or as you might call it, the slums." Finally, they all took a good look and realized just how poor the city looked. Every building was decrepit, uninhabitable. Mud and snow had mixed and was thickly coating the streets, or what was left of them. And now that they weren't about to die, Seth could smell the sewage from down below, and it threatened to choke him.

"And you lived here?" Karim asked, though not unkindly, "Sith, what happened?" Sith sat down on a bench and beckoned for the others to sit with her. Mahaado stayed as he was on his own bench, but Karim and Seth walked over and joined her.

"They've already ransacked this part of the capital," Sith said, sadly, "It wasn't like this last time I was here." Seth felt another pang of guilt, as he realized that Sith wasn't lying about the urgency of the matter. Karim patted Sith's back, but she didn't smile.

"I came here to find someone who could tell me what happened, but the Espers living here either escaped or were killed," Sith continued quietly, "I can't get into the kingdom's castle, and everywhere is similar to this. I've tried contacting my brother with magic, but he won't open his mind up." Mahaado struggled to stand, but the guard helped him and walked him over to Sith.

"What if the pharaoh tried to write to him?" he asked, but Sith shook her head.

"No good. All forms of mail, that is, communication, have been shut down because of the attack," Sith said, and then slammed her sword into the ground, "Damn it. If only I'd gotten here earlier, I might've been able to do something." Mahaado and Karim looked down, and Seth actually looked away. He couldn't meet Sith's eyes. This was partly his fault, and he couldn't imagine what would've happened if he just went with her like he was supposed to. The kingdom would've been saved, or at least someone would've been spared.

"It's not your fault, Sith," Karim assured, but whatever comfort he tried to give wasn't met. Sith simply got up, picking up her sword.

"Well, there's not much we can do. You can't go back to Egypt," Sith told them, "When my brother heard I was coming, he ordered the gates to be shut as soon as I passed through. He doesn't want humans getting through. That's why I'm surprised you sent Bakura to tell Atemu where I was. It'd do no good, since he can't reach us."

"Wait, what!?" Seth exclaimed, jumping up, "They've closed the gates!? Sith, why!?" Sith glanced at him regretfully, almost afraid to answer. But she pulled herself through and answered anyway, though she sounded very cautious of something.

"My brother… he's not like my father," Sith said, looking toward the large crystal castle looming in the distance, "My father trusted the people of Egypt, but my brother doesn't. He's a good man, but… he can't accept human help. Not after what happened before, with the last war between Nesce and… well, everyone." Mahaado looked over at Sith, and Seth noticed the color was coming back in Mahaado's cheeks.

"Another war? When was this?" Mahaado asked, but Sith didn't answer. At least, not right away. Seth could see tears welling up in Sith's eyes, but she wiped them away when she noticed his stare.

"It was about 18 years ago," Sith explained, "It was a horrible war. Word of our power got out, and an empire from some other continent… I'm not sure which… came and just slaughtered everyone who went against them. They kidnapped anyone they could, and they poisoned the air with some kind of weapon. They're… the reason my mother is dead. And they're the reason my father was so sick." Sith was about to cry, but stopped herself. She didn't want anyone to see that she was still upset about it. But it left Mahaado speechless.

"We're sorry for your loss," Karim said, in almost a whisper, but Sith shrugged.

"If it weren't for that war, Egypt wouldn't have come to our aid," Sith replied simply, "That's what forged the alliance in the first place. But when my father died, and left the throne to my brother, he completely shut down nearly all forms of alliance with you. The only one he left was me."

"Why?" Seth asked, sitting back down, "Couldn't he call you back?" Sith laughed, and shook her head. Seth was interested in hearing her response.

"He could try, but I was adamant in staying with you all," Sith said, chuckling, "It was my father's wish that I remain in Egypt unless I _needed_ to come back. Nesce isn't a safe place, and though my brother's the king, I'm the actual heiress because of the deal my father made." Karim and Seth both looked at Sith quickly, eyebrows raised in skeptical interest. Sith looked nervous about something, and whatever that deal was made her flushed with red.

"What is the deal?" Seth asked.

"_Was_ the deal," Sith corrected, and then threw up her hands, "It's a silly one, though, and it's not in effect anymore. But the deal was that, if I stayed in Egypt, and if your former pharaoh allowed it, I'd marry Atemu to strengthen the alliance even more. But that was only to happen _before_ our fathers died, or the deal in question would be nulled. It's complicated, and I don't understand some parts of it, but that's basically how it works. That's why I haven't left Egypt, and that's why I act so… informal… in your standards, Seth." Karim held in a snort of laughter, as did Mahaado, as Seth's face turned red with embarrassment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did no one know of this?

"So, then… the deal's off?" Seth asked, "But then why stay? If the deal's off, what's the point in staying if you know your brother needs you _here_?"

"My brother wouldn't admit needing my help," Sith replied bitterly, crossing her arms, "He'd tell me I should've stayed in Egypt, where it was safe, though he wouldn't admit that, either."

"Are you on bad terms with him?" Mahaado asked. Sith uncrossed her arms and nodded slowly.

"Yes," Sith replied, "I didn't agree with how he handled relations, or how he handled battling in general. He's powerful, but careless. I told him I wasn't coming back unless he restored communications. Why should I? Atemu is kinder than he is by far, sometimes. Needless to say, he was furious with me. He didn't kick me out, but he told me to not expect any welcoming, regardless of if I'm part of his family or not." Sith's voice trailed off, leaving an awkward silence as the three priests stared at her. Sith looked at the snowy ground as the wind swirled the snow around in intricate patterns. The Esper guards grunted softly, trying to get Sith's attention. She finally looked at them.

"Sorry to disturb your story, my lady," one of them growled deeply, "But you do remember your appointment?" Sith's frown deepened and she nodded grimly.

"How can I forget?" she asked bitterly, then turned to Karim, "I have to get going. I expect you three to leave immediately. Nesce is no place for humans…" Sith seemed distant again before she added, "And tell Atemu to turn back." Then turning to the two guards again, who saluted before her, she was about to walk away. Seth stood up.

"Sith, wait!" he called, and Sith obeyed as she stopped walking, "We're not leaving without you. So cut the heroism and tell us what's going on." Sith glanced back, as the wind whipped harshly, spraying snow everywhere. Mahaado knew this wasn't a coincidence as it died down again.

"That's funny, coming from you," Sith replied sarcastically, "If you're going to be stubborn, then I won't stop you. But if you expect me to be happy, I won't be. Especially since you dragged Atemu into this." Taking this to mean that they could follow her, Seth rushed after her. Karim helped Mahaado up, and they quickly followed. The Esper guards grunted unhappily, but didn't object to them tagging along. Seth had to jog to keep up with Sith, and he noticed how stern her expression was. Wherever they were going, it was obvious that Sith didn't want to head there. Seth looked up, and realized they were actually heading deeper into the slums, rather than toward the palace. What appointment would take place here?

"Who're we meeting?" Seth asked, as they weaved through ruins of old houses, "And why here?" Sith blasted a large pile of a putrid substance, but didn't flinch as she continued on.

"We're meeting my uncle, Cydandilus," Sith replied, stepping over a rag and what appeared to be a broken furnace, "And we need to meet him here because I'm not allowed in the castle. It was his suggestion, though I know he regrets what happened between my brother and I." Seth kept quiet, unable to find anything to say. Sith's life was too complicated for him. So, for a few minutes, the walk was silent. It seemed to drag on forever, though. Seth could feel the annoyance pouring off of Sith. Finally, someone had to break the silence.

"You never told us you had family," Mahaado braved shyly. Sith sighed heavily, but didn't slow down as they entered into a derelict building, where the roof seemed to be caving in.

"It was none of your business," Sith replied shortly, as the snow swirled inside the building. There was enough light inside to see, but the sight was gloomy and dour. What little furniture had been left was rotten and molding horribly. The ground had been generally untouched, but there was a deep crater in the center, and the smell of rotten garbage spewed from it. Everyone covered their mouths, choking and sputtering on the foul odors.

"I ask again, why here!?" Seth coughed out angrily, "This place is worse than the lowest levels of the palace!"

"No kidding," Sith replied, sneezing, "My uncle is a bit… odd in the head. But he has his reasons. We just need to find him." Everyone except Sith stopped to rest. Sith continued forward, occasionally calling, "Uncle Cyd?" Seth glanced at Karim and Mahaado, but they shrugged, unable to see what was happening, either.

"So, you finally made it to my place, eh?" came a gravelly, deep voice, "Sure took you long enough, Sithy." Sith blinked, obviously recognizing the voice. She dropped her sword gently.

"Uncle Cyd!" she exclaimed, and hugged the man the voice had come from. He stepped out, carrying her slightly. Seth gasped. Cydandilus was rugged, obviously a very strong man. His blonde hair was uncombed, and looked as though he'd never used a brush in his life. His denim jacket was stained with mud and grime, as were his pants. His boots had many years of hiking experience, and strapped to his back was a large gun, unique to the Nesce region. On his head sat a cap with goggles, one of which was broken. The little bit of stubble on his chin only added to his appearance. Sith let go of him, smiling.

"Sorry it took me so long, uncle," she explained, and then turned to Seth, "We've had an incident. I thought I was alone, but it seems some royal fools decided to follow me." Mahaado hid a snort of laughter, knowing full well that Sith referred to Seth. Cydandilus glared at the three priests, obviously sizing them up for something. He didn't like the look of any of them, and the harsh expression on his face told them that. Finally, he sighed, sat down, and unstrapped his gun.

"Which one o' you is that prince, Atemu?" he asked, stretching his neck a bit until it gave an eerie crack, "I got a few words for you, boy." Sith couldn't help but giggle a little, having a feeling that Atemu would be scared to death if he ever met her family. Or what was left of it. Seth glanced around in disbelief. Not one of them were dressed like royalty, and he couldn't understand how Cydandilus thought they were.

"None of us are the _pharaoh_," Seth corrected sarcastically, "He's not here." Sith tried to hold in a burst of hysterical laughter at seeing the look her uncle gave when Seth spoke to him. His eyes narrowed.

"Don't talk to me that way, boy," Cyd growled, standing up, "So, I take it that little prince o' yours didn't like my precious niece enough to accompany her to war, eh? I told my brother-in-law that making that stupid deal was a bad idea. But did he listen? Nope." Mahaado and Karim looked at each other, both afraid of Cydandilus and wondering who should speak next. Sith took care of that problem as she gently took her uncle's arm.

"It's not like that, uncle. Atemu couldn't come just yet," Sith said, helping Cyd back into the chair, "But he's on his way. These royal dimwits sent message to him, and apparently he felt I needed help." Cyd glared at Seth, somehow knowing that whatever mess was going on, it was automatically Seth's fault.

"Ah, whatever. He can take his sweet time for all I care," Cyd replied, still glaring at Seth, "My words can wait for him. Not like they're goin' anywhere, eh?" Seth's mouth slanted into an odd-looking frown as Cyd continued to glare him down. No one spoke, either too afraid of Cyd or just being respectful until Cyd slammed his fist into the table and said, "Why don't you sit your asses down? Or ain't my place _good_ enough for royal folk?" Mahaado and Karim practically dropped to the floor, dragging Seth down with them. Sith snickered, and remained standing. She looked out the window, half paying attention to everyone, half watching for Atemu's arrival. Finally, it was Mahaado who spoke.

"Good sir, why is it that you called a meeting with Sith here?" he asked politely, "This place is hazardous, and…" Mahaado's voice dropped. Cyd looked at him skeptically, and then he smiled.

"You're a polite boy," he commented, and then laughed, "So I'll tell you. Sith's brother, King Sceppio Winchester, is planning on fightin' this war without help from you all. But what he don't realize is that we're losing, and we're losing badly." Sith turned from the window as the news struck a blow to her. Her ears lowered.

"What!? The war's begun!?" Sith exclaimed, her expression mortified. Cyd nodded grimly.

"Yup. There've been skirmishes and battles, and we're losing," Cyd replied, "We already lost the Behemoth fleet in the mountains, and the Straes here won't hold up any longer." Sith cursed angrily. She couldn't understand why her brother was allowing this.

"My brother is insane," Sith growled, "We need Egypt to back us up. Why can't he accept that!?"

"Your brother's a proud man, Sith," Cyd replied calmly, "Proud, but reckless. He don't wanna accept Egypt, because that'd mean handing the throne to you. That'd be putting you in a lot of danger, and he don't want that, even if he won't admit it."

"_ATEMU WOULD HELP ME!_" Sith yelled, thrusting her own sword into the table, scaring everyone, even the two Esper guards, "We need help. The fact is clear, neither Nesce nor Egypt can survive war without each other. If my brother doesn't accept this, he'll doom both our countries." Seth shivered, hearing how angry Sith was. Even Cyd was slightly shaken with his niece, but he shrugged it off.

"I know that, and you know that. Hell, everyone knows it," Cyd stated, waving his arm frantically, "But unless someone's brave enough to go against him, this war's a doomed one." The three priests looked around, but didn't speak. None of them could go into the palace. They would be killed on sight. Sith crossed her arms, her expression was outrage.

"I demand to see my brother," she stated firmly. Cyd snapped around and looked at her, tilting his head in a warning.

"Sith, I wouldn't do that," he said, "He don't want Egypt involved, and whether you like it or not, he considers you part of Egypt."

"I don't care," Sith replied adamantly, "This is my home, too, and I won't let it be destroyed over one idiot's drive for power. If Sceppio wants to see us all die, that's not my problem, but I won't put Atemu or his country in danger because of us. Now let me see him." Everyone looked at Sith, unsure of what they could do. Only Cyd seemed to be able to take her on if she became aggressive, but even he was hesitant. Sith grabbed her sword.

"If you all refuse, then I'll go alone," she stated grimly, "And if you stop me, I'll kill you. This is important, and no matter what happens to me, you all don't deserve this. My brother… he should've never received the throne if this is what he does with it." With that, she left the building. The guards went to stop her, but one low growl told them that she'd rip them apart as well. They remained with Cyd. Silence fell across the room for a while, no one knowing what to say. Finally, Seth broke it.

"What do we do now?" he asked quietly. Cyd sighed, getting out of his chair once again. He strapped his gun back.

"It's obvious, ain't it?" he asked, perking an eyebrow, "We go after her. Or rather, you three go after her."

"What of you, then?" Karim asked, getting up. Cyd looked at him, nodded respectfully, and shrugged.

"If that boy's coming here to find my niece, I wanna talk to him," Cyd replied, "You know, tell him what's what. Now, she's getting away fast, so you might want to move." Karim nodded, and with a wave to the guards, led Seth and Mahaado back outside. The snow stopped falling, but it was only temporary. He could just barely see Sith in the far distance, her golden shoulder-pads gleaming and her sword pulsing with a luminous glow.

"We need to catch up to her. I just hope the pharaoh can get here. We'll need him."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Well, Seth may be in Nesce, with a new ally, but that certainly doesn't make things any brighter as Sith makes her way into the palace of the Espers, ready to take down her brother. But why is he willing to battle when he knows he's losing? What grudge does he have against Atemu and his father? Meanwhile, can Atemu and Bakura get into Nesce in time to speak to Cyd and stop Sith? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	7. A new Court of the Pharaoh

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does. I tried to ask if he wants to borrow Sith, but he hasn't responded. So, I still own Sith, Sceppiro, and Cydandilus.

Getting to Nesce took very little time for Atemu and Bakura, as the air currents carried them quickly across the northern expanse. The snow fell even faster, and as they rode, Atemu could see that the ground was quickly becoming covered in the white substance. His horse was unhappy to have to be trotting through, but it didn't slow down.

"We must be close," Atemu commented, "It's freezing." Bakura nodded as they kept riding, until his horse whinnied and threw him off. Atemu's horse did the same, and both men slammed into the cold, hard ground. Grumbling, Bakura got up and looked forward. He saw what frightened the horses, and it frightened him as well. The Lion Gate, which had been opened before, was now closed. Electricity buzzed through the cracks in the gates. Atemu got up, and gasped.

"How did it close!?" Bakura asked, exasperated, "It was opened when we spoke to her! Pharaoh, I swear!" Atemu hung his head in defeat. He didn't know what to believe now, but all he knew was that he couldn't reach Sith this way.

"The Esper king must've ordered it closed," Atemu sighed, and then he screamed, "_WHY!?_" He pounded on the gates, until one of the electric currents shocked him. Quickly, he pulled back, shivering.

"Pharaoh, stop," Bakura said, "Killing yourself won't help Sith or the other Espers. We need to find another way inside." Atemu growled angrily, as he placed his left hand on his right shoulder, which was burned by the current. Bakura looked at the gates critically. They were made of Esper materials. Nothing human would destroy them.

"Why would he do this to us all!?" Atemu growled, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the gates. Bakura had no idea who Atemu was talking about.

"Who is he?" Bakura asked, tilting his head and unreigning the horses. They wouldn't use them once inside, and the horses were happy to be freed. They sped away back toward the palace. Atemu didn't notice or object, as he kept his eyes on the daunting black gate.

"Sceppiro Winchester. Sith's older brother," Atemu replied grimly, "As soon as her father died, he took over and shut down any way to contact the Espers. Sith… stayed with me. She didn't want to agree to his terms." Bakura's frown deepened as Atemu explained, and he could hear the anger still seeping through the pharaoh's voice. There had to be something up between the two of them.

"Why would he do that? And couldn't Sith do anything?" he asked. Atemu shook his head, tears starting to form in his eyes as he spoke.

"No. He refused to listen to her after she took my side," Atemu replied bitterly, "I told her she had to stay with the Espers, but she refused. As for why he'd do this… I don't know. But I must make him see." Atemu let his hand drop from his shoulder. Bakura simply watched, wondering what Atemu would try. And yet, Atemu didn't move. He closed his eyes, trying to see if he could contact Sith. Espers had telekinetic abilities, so maybe if he concentrated…

"Pharaoh, look!" Bakura shouted suddenly, breaking Atemu's concentration. Atemu swore, and then looked at the gate. The electricity was shut off! And, now that it was gone, Atemu could see just a crack in the gate, big enough for them to squeeze through. Smiling, he glanced back at Bakura, who seemed to understand, as he ran to the crack and went through. Atemu waited for a second, until Bakura poked his hand through the crack and said, "Come on! It's all clear!"

"Hold on," Atemu said, and then went through himself.

---

Inside the crystal castle, in the dark throne room, Sceppiro Winchester sat. His cloak hid his body, and in his hand was a large orb depicting Atemu and Bakura as they made their way down the path. His eyes were hidden in the shadow, but his smile was in full view.

"It seems the pharaoh is heading right into our war, sir," the Chancellor stated, shifting uncomfortably. Sceppiro nodded.

"No doubt to find my sister. This can be worked to our advantage," Sceppiro said darkly, "We can make him work for us in exchange for my sister's safety, and then we can give him to them in exchange for the glass mythril sphere." The Chancellor's eyes widened, obviously the mention of the sphere striking him.

"The ultimate weapon created by your father!? But… but sir, that will wipe out the continents of Egypt, Nesce, and the entire ocean!" he exclaimed, "You cannot allow this!" Sceppiro frowned, looking down.

"My father created that sphere to ensure that we guard the final spell that can destroy the earth until one worthy of its power can use it," Sceppiro replied softly, "I've no intention of using it, but I want it back. It belongs to us." The Chancellor glanced at the doorway.

"And what of the princess?" he asked, "What if she interferes?" Sceppiro was silent for a minute, thinking of his sister. She would definitely interfere if he put Atemu in danger. Chances are, she would be coming very soon. He felt her presence in the slums.

"…Kill her," he stated, "Kill her and any allies she brings with her. And if the pharaoh resists, show him what happens to those who go against me."

---

Atemu and Bakura continued down the path quickly, yet they were cautious. The ground was slick with snow, and the wind was cold and biting. They could barely see the bottoms of the cliffs that surrounded them, but they knew the capital was close.

"No wonder Sith didn't return here!" Bakura yelled over the wind, "There's three ways to die just from entering the gate!" Atemu laughed, as Bakura did have a point. Hypothermia, hazardous conditions, and the rocks far below were good causes of death in Nesce. Still, though, he had a feeling Nesce would've been beautiful… if it weren't in the middle of a monstrous storm.

"My father never mentioned snowstorms when he went here," Atemu replied, and Bakura strained trying to hear him, "If only it'd clear up, we could see the capital." If Atemu expected his wish to alter the weather, he was surely disappointed when the snow continued on in vigor. Nearly twice since they entered, he slipped and nearly fell to the cliffs, gripping the edge with all his might. Bakura had helped him, but he knew their truce was only temporary.

"I hope to hell that Sith just comes back with us. There's nothing to see here except snow," Bakura said, keeping a grip on Atemu's arm in case the pharaoh fell again. But to his misfortune, Bakura lost his footing and fell, and because he was stronger than Atemu by far, he dragged the poor king with him, and they tumbled down the steep slope. Off the cliff they fell, into a snow bank thirty feet below, and still they kept on rolling. Bakura kept praying to whatever god that'd listen to him to keep at least himself alive. Atemu couldn't remember what he was thinking, but he was sure it was about Sith, about his palace, and something to do with a ceremony. Finally, they crashed into a rock, and both slid the rest of the way, Bakura's hand still clasped to Atemu's arm, until they fell yet again. And then they crashed into the snow again.

"What was that!?" came a voice in the near distance. It was Mahaado. Both men heard footsteps, but were too tired to move. Seth came shortly after.

"Avalanche!?" Seth asked, as Karim came, wheezing. Seth turned to Sith, "Do you have these often?" Sith arched an eyebrow, and shook her head.

"Not unless someone's stupid enough to get too close to the cliffs," she replied, half amused, "The snow's packed pretty heavily. There'd have to be a lot of weight involved for that." Atemu blinked when he heard Sith speaking. He opened his eyes, shocked to see Bakura was hugging him in sheer terror. Even worse, he was hugging the thief back, though he was sure his last thought was of Sith.

"Either way, it looks like something's buried under the snow mound," Mahaado said, and with Karim, they brushed the snow off, revealing both the pharaoh and Bakura. Seth's eyes bulged, Mahaado and Karim gasped, and Sith looked both very shocked and very amused. Atemu realized what they saw and pushed Bakura away.

"_Pharaoh!?_" the three priests exclaimed in unison.

"Atemu!? And… Bakura!?" Sith asked, laughing, "What the hell were you two doing!?"

"Praying to the gods," Bakura mumbled, wiping the rest of the snow off of his cloak, "Mostly to Zork, too." Sith looked directly at Atemu. His face was red as he saw her.

"I don't know…" he said, looking away, "I thought of you, though. I kept wishing I never let you leave on your own for this… this wasteland." Sith's grin faded and she walked over to Atemu, letting her sword fall in the snow again.

"Sir, I'm all right," she said quietly, "But when Seth said you were coming, I wanted to stop you. You shouldn't be here." She tilted her head, trying to read his expression, identify his response. Tears fell down his face, and before she could react, he turned and hugged her.

"Sith, I'm sorry. I made a foolish choice, letting you get yourself into this war alone. I should've forced Priest Seth to join you," he said quickly, as Sith blinked, trying to figure out what she should do, "I should've joined you." Sith bit her lip and decided it best to try and at least comfort him. He genuinely felt horrible. She gave him a pat on the back and he let go, though he kept a grip on her arms. They looked at each other. She looked calm, understanding. And he looked absolutely devastated.

"It's all right, sir. This was my choice. I knew what I was doing," Sith stated, and looked at Seth, "As well as what he was doing. This war was going to happen no matter what you decided." Atemu closed his eyes and wiped the tears away. He still felt terrible, but hearing Sith made him feel a bit better.

"I hope my decision to join you doesn't put a damper on whatever you have planned," he said, "If there's a war, we're helping you. Egypt and Nesce have been allies for a while. Why end it now?"

"Even though Sith's brother is completely insane?" Seth asked, raising an amused brow. Sith glared at him icily, but he was right. Atemu nodded grimly, feeling this particular choice was very well his best one thus far.

"Even if it means I die," Atemu replied, smiling, "My father made a promise to yours, Sith. I'm keeping that promise to _you_ now. Do not tell me to leave." Sith looked at him for a minute, and he could see a bit of anger, but then she laughed. And she laughed hysterically. She laughed until tears formed in her eyes, and smiled when her laugh finally faded.

"You'll always be the stubborn little whiner who promised me I'd never have to worry about anything once we were older," she said lightly, "If you really insist, who am I to stop you?"

"And you'll always be the stubborn brat who never believed what I said," Atemu added, "And you _can't_ stop me because what I say goes." Seth glanced between them, wondering just how long they'd take to either insulting or patronizing each other. Their grins didn't fade. Finally, Bakura intervened.

"Sorry, children, but there's no time to play… or flirt, whichever one you two are trying to pull," he said, stepping between the two, "Sith, what's the next step? You're officially the leader in this little rebellion we have going." Sith frowned, upset that Bakura managed to mock her and still be truthful in one shot. She looked at Atemu and he nodded agreeingly. Clearing her throat, she picked up her sword again.

"The front of the castle is no doubt on high alert of my arrival, so we're sneaking in through the sewers," she stated, "But to get there, we need to get behind the richer part of the capital, and that means going through the small crest we're on, and then sliding down when I say to do so. From there, there are several gates into the sewers we can choose from. The normal ones run throughout the city. They're secretive, there won't be security in them, but they're also confusing."

"So then what about the second set?" Mahaado asked innocently. Sith bit her lip again, hesitant.

"The royal sewers go directly into either the palace, the guard post, the royal courtyard, or the plaza. They're straightforward… but most definitely heavily guarded. Thieves and what my brother calls commoners alike use them to sneak into the royal chambers, conducting illegal business," Sith explained, "If he's expecting me, though, he might lessen security in them to man the front of the palace." She seemed distant as she explained, and Atemu laid a hand on her shoulder with worry. Mahaado looked worried for her as well. Seth, however, grunted.

"Your brother is missing a few buttons to me," he commented, "I mean, I understand him being angry that you sided with the pharaoh, but this borders on paranoia. What happened between you? Was it really about Atemu?" Atemu looked at Sith, silently asking her if what Seth said was true, and she nodded to him, her ears lowering.

"It started after my father died, but it definitely escalated when I told him I was remaining in Egypt," Sith said, "I think he's afraid I've abandoned him… and now I'm not so sure he's wrong." Sith looked down the steep slope toward the capital. The snow subsided considerably down here, and everyone could see the large palace in the center of what appeared to be everything. Aside from a small section of city near the palace, everything else was utterly destroyed.

"You did what you had to," Bakura said finally, moving up to stand next to Sith and Atemu, "Your father told you to stay with us! You couldn't disobey him, and your brother knew that! If he wanted you to stay around, he shouldn't have cut down every form of communication you could've used. It's his own fault." Sith looked at Bakura with shock, and even the priests looked slightly taken with Bakura's truthfulness. Sith smiled weakly.

"I suppose you're right… but I certainly haven't fulfilled my duties here," she said, waving her arm towards the ruined city, "Look at it. Aeroglyph isn't the royal city it used to be, and I've done nothing to help it." Atemu and Bakura looked at each other regretfully, and Bakura nodded.

"So what? It's not like you could simply walk in. Your brother sounds like he wanted a bounty on you," Bakura replied, "And as far as I'm concerned, you should be here as much as we should be. Your father wanted you with us, and I still say it's your brother's fault if he regrets his stupidity now." Though Sith didn't like hearing something, especially Bakura, speaking about her brother that way, it made her feel very comforted that someone was willing to tell him how much his ruling had damaged everyone. Atemu blinked, silently glaring at Bakura, but neither Bakura nor Sith noticed.

"Thank you," she said, smiling weakly once more before looking at the palace again, "Now we need to go down there. It's a very long walk, and any time wasted here will turn to suffering down there. I can't let my brother go any further with whatever he's trying to do." She took one step forward, until the ground shook furiously. Sith lost her footing, and fell. She was about to slide off the cliff until both Atemu and Bakura grabbed her, pulling her up between both of them. Karim grabbed Mahaado, who'd begun to fall a bit as well, and Seth held onto a large tree root poking out of the ground. All of them stood, some hugging others to keep them from slipping, staring out at the horizon. A large brown ship was emerging from the cliffs, and the mere velocity of its engine caused the entire mountain to quake.

"So much for going in quietly," Seth mumbled, as the ship continued until it was level with them all. Everyone simply stared, unable to make sense of how the ship got there. That is, until the door popped open, and out stepped Cydandilus, taking off his broken goggles.

"I knew my ship would come in handy some day!" he exclaimed in that gruff voice of his, grinning, "So now, what do we have here!?" Sith blinked, looking at her uncle. Neither Atemu nor Bakura knew who this man was until she spoke.

"Uncle!? What are you doing here!?" she asked angrily, placing her hands on her hips, which was difficult as neither Atemu nor Bakura had let go of her. And both men looked terrified of Cyd.

"I came to see that boy 'o yours, Sithy," Cyd replied, and looked at Bakura, "You're Atemu, right? Well, boy, I got some words for ya, so you'd better listen well, boy." Bakura glanced at Atemu, and there was a smirk that threatened to burst out laughing. Atemu's lips tightened, and he looked at his clothing. He hated to admit it, but right now, Bakura looked even more extravagant than he did.

"Actually, old man, this is Atemu," Bakura said, snickering as he pointed to the flustered boy, "I'm just a dashingly handsome thief come to rescue your beautifully elegant niece from the dire peril that…"

"Bakura, shut your mouth and don't open it until we all die," Sith grumbled, as Atemu smiled a truly triumphant smile. Cyd raised a stern eyebrow, and then glared at Atemu.

"Don't matter. Look, you. You've been charged with protecting my little niece, and you damn well better be doing a good job of it, too," Cyd growled, frightening Atemu, "I'm gonna watch you like a hawk, and if you do anything funny to my niece, I'm gonna hunt you down and skin you like you was an oversized Rhobite." Though Atemu had no idea what a Rhobite was, he knew that either way, Cyd would probably kill him. He also noticed he was shaking. Cydandilus was possibly the most terrifying man Atemu had ever met.

"Y-yes sir," Atemu stammered, and Sith rolled her eyes.

"This is what you wanted to talk to Atemu about!?" Sith asked impatiently, tapping her boot against the snow, "You wanted to threaten him? Uncle, where is your dignity!?" Cyd looked over at Sith, and his expression softened.

"Just lookin' out for the one member of my family I got left," Cyd replied, winking, "Anyway, I thought y'all could use my help, so I brought along the Imperial from the palace itself! Snuck it into the slums and all." Cyd pointed to the large ship he'd come out of, and everyone except for Sith gasped in complete awe. They'd never seen anything like that before. It was very big, towering over 100 feet and longer than the palace itself. It was of sleek design, made for traveling quickly, and it was made nearly completely of metal. Seth could see that veins of crystal seemed to be reinforcing it, or pumping some sort of power into it. The vastness of such a machine took his very breath away.

"You took this from my brother!?" Sith asked, both angry and exasperated, "Uncle, were you planning on a rebellion?" Cyd's face hardened and he nodded grimly. Sith bit her lower lip and looked at the familiar airship as Cyd spoke.

"Now, Sithy, let me explain here," Cyd said calmly, "I ain't trying to make things worse for ya, but your brother's completely outta control. He's been sending us all into the Lightning Valley to hold off our enemies, but it don't do a damn, and he's sittin' up there while we all suffer down here!" Sith closed her eyes, trying very hard not to want to murder her own brother for allowing this. Bakura glared at the palace, hoping he could kill Sceppiro from up where he was.

"Then it's a good thing their princess returned. If anyone can put an end to this, it's Sith," Bakura stated firmly, but Sith didn't respond. She didn't want to do this anymore. She didn't want to actually have to face her brother, but she now knew she didn't have a choice. If someone didn't do something, the Espers would all die, and she knew that.

"Then let's do this before I turn tail and leave," Sith finished reluctantly, "I'm not sure I have it in me to actually fight my brother over this, but there's no one else brave enough to test him. So let's get to the palace before I lose whatever courage I have left." Cyd smiled at his niece, and practically jumped onto the large ship.

"Then get your sorry asses up here and let's move!" he called far below, and Sith jumped up next to him, carrying Atemu with her. Bakura twitched angrily, and climbed the wall, praying he wouldn't fall down. Cyd lowered a ladder for the other three. Seth blinked.

"Wait, we're actually going to _ride_ that thing!?" Seth asked, as Karim helped Mahaado get onto the ladder. Karim then turned back to Seth and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, how else would we get there? By walking?" Karim asked, and when Seth nodded, he simply laughed, "Do you realize how long that would take?" Leaving Seth to feeling very annoyed, Karim also climbed up. Seth cursed him for a thousand years under his breath, and then followed suit. Once everyone was on board, Cyd ran to the wheel and pushed the Imperial into the air again. Though the palace was in sight, he told everyone it'd take a little time to actually get there, so as he steered, Sith led everyone into the comfortably large cabin that served as both a living space and a dining hall. They all sat down, Seth and the other two priests on one couch, Sith and Atemu on the other. Bakura sat on the floor next to Sith.

"So, you really don't want to do this?" Seth asked Sith, when no one spoke, "You seemed so sure of yourself a while ago." Sith sighed and looked down as Atemu laid a hand on her shoulder. She spoke quietly.

"That was before Atemu and my uncle became involved. It was before any of you became involved," Sith replied, not meeting anyone's eyes, "Before, all I had to worry about was myself. But now, I need to look after not just three, but six other people who insist on coming with me. That puts a lot of pressure on me, both as a friend and as an officer of the pharaoh. What if one of you… especially you, Atemu… were to die?" Finally, she looked up at each and every person in that room with her. Tears had welled up, but they didn't fall. Everyone saw the quelled sadness inside of her, and it pained them.

"Then we died of a worthy cause," Atemu replied, but he knew he sounded unsure, "Sith, you may be my knight, but you can't dictate my decisions. I decided to come here. I didn't have to, but I decided it. I couldn't sit and let this war happen."

"And even though I'm a wanted criminal, you're my favorite officer!" Bakura added proudly, grinning, "Who am I to pass up the chance to help such a beautiful… er… beauty?" Seth snickered at Bakura's poor attempt to impress Sith, and Atemu glared furiously at him. Sith smiled, holding in a laugh of her own. Bakura sounded ridiculous, but he was sincere.

"The pharaoh's right, though. You can't stop us from deciding to help you," Mahaado said gently, smiling at Sith, "Even if we didn't know about any of this war until we found you at the gate, we still wanted to make sure you were safe. And we still want that." Sith nodded, though she still felt very nervous about meeting with her brother. She didn't think it would be this way, with so many people from Egypt actually storming in with her. Her brother would definitely attack them all.

"We all love you very much, Sith. We didn't mean to make you second-guess your decision," Karim said, in a very fatherly way before adding, "Well… most of us love you, anyway." He looked directly at Seth as he said the last part, and as everyone expected, Seth lost his temper again. He slammed his fists on the table and stood up.

"I made a mistake! Are you people going to blame me for this for the rest of my life!?" he demanded, only managing to make everyone laugh, "What's next!? I suppose _I'm_ the one who created _dysentery!?_ What about cholera? Is that my fault too!? Oh, here's a good one! The plague! I know that's my fault, isn't it!?" Bakura was so amused that he was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Sith was also laughing hysterically, while Atemu tried to be polite, but ultimately ended up failing. Even Mahaado and Karim, though polite to a tee, were laughing at Seth's ridiculous outburst. When he finally calmed down enough to answer, Mahaado's voice somehow silenced everyone else.

"Well, Seth, you _were_ the one who had Sith sent out here alone," Mahaado replied truthfully, "If you'd just done your job, which was to only scout the area with her and then return with information, we wouldn't be here and Sceppiro wouldn't have made a red alert about our arrival." Atemu nodded wisely, agreeing with Mahaado. Seth twitched, angry that once again, his fellow priests managed to point out his mistakes in front of someone more important than he was. And in this case, both Sith and Atemu were there, both of whom he lied to.

"_DID I ASK YOU FOR A SUMMARY!?_" Seth screamed, until Atemu stood up, looking regal and furious even though his clothing was a bit tattered.

"Sit down _now_, Priest Seth," Atemu commanded sternly, "And do not ever let me hear you address anyone in my courtroom with such insolence again, or _you_ will be dismissed from the priesthood." Seth's lips tightened furiously and he slumped into his seat. Sith cheered for Atemu silently. Even Bakura smirked at seeing Seth silenced so quickly. Atemu sat back down just as the ship lurched forward, and then seemed to stop moving. Everyone looked around, trying to figure out what happened, but it was Sith who ran out onto the deck. Cyd was cursing angrily.

"Uncle, what's going on?" Sith asked, worried that Cydandilus may have been hurt. Everyone had run to follow Sith, and Cyd looked at his niece incredulously.

"The ship's engine blew!" Cyd boomed angrily, kicking the wheel until it finally snapped off, "We came within a mile and the ship decides to undergo complete engine failure! I can't believe this piece of crap is supposed to be military-grade! What was your brother thinking!" Cyd continued to rant about the ship, and different variations of the words "damn" and "shit" were used nearly repeatedly. Mahaado crept up to Sith nervously as she simply watched Cyd like she half-expected this to happen.

"What's going on?" he whispered, as most of them were too terrified to have paid much attention. Sith raised an amused eyebrow, smirked, and laughed.

"Apparently the engine's failed," she replied simply, "And we crash landed." Atemu whistled, but Seth's eyes bulged angrily.

"_WHAT!?_" he screamed, "Does this mean we're _stuck_ here!? Sith, we can't be stuck! Tell me we're not stuck! And if we are, tell me it's _his_ fault!" Seth pointed accusingly at Cyd as he yelled, who immediately flipped the young priest off. The two began screaming at each other, one in Egyptian, the other in Esper's Tongue, until Sith screeched a sound so blood-curdling that it drowned out everyone else.

"Oh Ra, who knew she could do that!?" Bakura yelled, covering his ears. Atemu twitched, trying to survive the echoing onslaught, and eventually it wound down. Cyd blinked and looked at his niece indifferently.

"First of all, everyone, be silenced!" Sith scolded angrily, unsheathing her sword, "We're not stuck here. In fact, uncle, we're closer to the palace than you think. Remember our original plan to go through the sewers?" Cyd nodded as Sith continued, pointing to a large grate that was still visible through the snow, "Well, we're near the sewer entrance, and thankfully, it's one of the royal ones. We can still use it to find our way to the palace!" Cyd stroked his chin, nodding with approval and calling Bakura over. Together, they lifted the grate and threw it across the courtyard, where it slammed loudly onto a patch of cobblestone and echoed dangerously. Atemu and Sith glared at both of them.

"Are you trying to get us caught!?" Sith hissed, crossing her arms angrily. Cyd raised a skeptical eyebrow and shook his head.

"Sorry, Sith," he replied, and then laughed heartily, "Well, you better get on down there!" He looked at Atemu, as he directed his instructions at him specifically. Atemu blinked, confused, and looked down the large hole. It wasn't dark. In fact, he could see the bottom, and it was gold! He tilted his head, thoroughly perplexed.

"Wait… you want me to go down there!?" he asked, "First!?" Cyd grinned and nodded.

"Well, of course! You're my little niece's knight in shining linen, so get your ass down there and prove your worth, boy!" Cyd barked, making Atemu jump. He decided he now hated Sith's uncle. Feeling very sick, he turned to Sith, trying his best to smile confidently and almost arrogantly.

"I'll make sure the way is clear for you," he said, and she smiled, "Just don't let any unnecessarily needed rogues bother you while I'm gone." Bakura twitched, as he knew full-well that Atemu meant to insult him. Atemu grabbed the first rung of the ladder leading downward, and winked at Sith. She chuckled, but did nothing else. Bakura lost it.

"_I HOPE YOU BREAK YOUR NECK DOWN THERE!_" he screeched, as Atemu disappeared. Seth, Mahaado, and Karim watched in silence. Sith simply stood, praying that nothing was down there.

"God Bahamut, please let there be nothing down there."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, with everyone in one group, they head off toward the palace! But, what awaits in the sewers under Aeroglyph? And does Sceppiro already know where they're heading? Can Cyd be trusted? And how is Saimon taking to Atemu's absence? Find out in the next chapter, so click that Review button!


	8. Temper Tantrums and Strange Voices

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he won't share the rights with me, either.

Shaddah and Isis now stood hiding in a food pantry, listening as the few servants in the kitchen left. It'd been a few hours since they ran away from the pharaoh, but they certainly didn't feel safe going back into the courtroom. Isis glared at Shaddah.

"You HAD to run away like that!" she snapped angrily, "I wasn't even going to tell them about Seth's plan, and you had to blow it, Shaddah. I just have one question. Why?" Shaddah shivered as he peeked through a small crack in the large stone doors.

"I was nervous. I mean, Akunadin was already screaming at us for trying to leave the room," Shaddah replied. Isis rolled her eyes.

"If you'd just let me speak, we'd have been on our way to Seth's room to 'look' for him," Isis growled, opening the door. The kitchen was empty, and though it was still dark outside, Isis could see the sun barely poking up from the mountains in the distance. She guessed it must've been near dawn. Quietly, she walked over to the doorway leading into the dining hall. Like the kitchen, it was completely empty. She turned back to Shaddah.

"Come on. It's safe now," she whispered, not noticing that Saimun was behind her. Shaddah shook his head frantically and pointed behind her, but Isis simply didn't understand what he was doing.

"Safe from what, Priestess Isis?" Saimun asked. Isis let out a screech of terror and turned around to face not only Saimun, but three guards as well. They were unarmed, but raised an amused eyebrow when they saw how terrified she was.

"N-nothing, Lord Saimun!" Isis replied, a little too loudly, "Just coming down for a midnight snack! Does the pharaoh want something?" As if to help her story even more, Shaddah grabbed an apple and took a hearty bite from it, nodding in agreement. Saimun watched with faint amusement, and then shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid not," Saimun explained calmly, "The pharaoh has left for beyond the Lion's Gate. He hopes to meet up with Knight Sith there." Isis looked at one of the guards, and they nodded to confirm what Saimun had said. Shaddah swallowed whatever was in his mouth and threw the apple on the floor.

"Wait, what? He's not here!?" Shaddah asked, genuinely surprised, "As in, he's left the palace and he's not coming back?" Saimun nodded.

"He won't be back for quite a while, I'm afraid," Saimun replied. Isis bit her lip nervously, but Shaddah didn't hold his happiness at the news back. He practically jumped into the air with glee.

"_YES!_ Isis, he's gone!" Shaddah exclaimed, taking the poor priestess's hands and pretty much dancing around, "We're safe from Akunadin!" Unfortunately, Isis saw Akunadin out of the corner of her eye as he entered the kitchen behind Saimun. And he was not happy at all. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Shaddah.

"No, you're most certainly not 'safe,' Shaddah," Akunadin growled, "You have a lot of explaining to do, especially as to why you're so happy the pharaoh's risking his life." Shaddah blinked, realizing he'd just gotten not only himself, but Isis as well, into a lot more trouble than they'd had if he just stayed in the courtroom.

---

Atemu let his hands slide off of the ladder as he climbed all the way down. Taking a few steps forward, he noticed the sewers looked much nicer than he'd expected. Though the ravine was filled with water, it was clean. The walls glimmered in the light it reflected. Seth and the other two priests came down shortly after, each of them also inspecting the sewer, followed by Bakura, who ignored the ladder altogether and simply jumped down. He landed agilely and looked up, grinning as he saw that Sith was coming down as well.

"Just jump, Sith," he said gently, "I'll catch you." Sith turned her head and glared at Bakura, continuing her descent down into the sewer.

"No. I'm fine on my own," she said, "Besides, I might accidentally crush you under my armor." As Sith stepped off of the ladder and looked directly at Bakura, he grinned again, this time his teeth showing.

"I'm stronger than you think," he replied calmly, "I can easily pick you up no matter what you happen to be wearing." Sith gave him an odd stare, and Atemu twitched angrily. Dignified, he deliberately stepped between Sith and Bakura, taking Sith's arm and leading her away from the thief, who frowned disapprovingly.

"Sith, I think you need to lead us through the sewers," Atemu said, hoping she wouldn't hit him for dragging her along. She didn't lift a finger. He stopped at the water's edge. Sith glanced at him, and noticed he was really annoyed.

"Are you all right, sir?" she asked, keeping her voice down so Bakura didn't hear. Atemu clenched his fists, but nodded.

"I'm fine," he replied quickly, "Let's hurry, though. If what you said is true, and the sewers are guarded, it's not safe to stay here for too long." Sith continued to stare just a second longer, trying to figure out what was wrong, but then she nodded, realizing everyone else was waiting as well. She looked at the water and followed the paths the ravine went through. From there, she could see that one led to a closed gate.

"We go this way," she instructed, pointing to the other path. Atemu still clasping her arm, they walked down the darkening path, the other four quickly following. The torches near the sewer's entrance started lessening in the passage, and soon the only light came from whatever could be reflected from the water's surface. Instantly, Mahaado used a scroll to make a lit torch appear in his hand.

"Do people really live down here?" Seth asked, as they continued down the long tunnel. He whispered, even though the only noise was the running water. Something down here didn't feel right.

"They don't live here, but there are groups that come down here to conduct business," It was obvious that Sith felt something was wrong, too, as she also whispered, "The sewers aren't protected by law, so anything dark done down here can't really be prosecuted. Not unless the business finds its way up into daylight." As they came to an intersection, Sith stopped for a minute to look at something on the wall. Atemu couldn't see what it was, nor did he have time to look as Sith turned toward the right and went down another path.

"Are they really stupid enough to do anything shady _here_?" Bakura asked, as the group went down a flight of stairs into another well-lit tunnel, "If these are the royal sewers, surely someone must patrol them!" Sith glanced at Bakura as they turned into yet another tunnel before her face was concealed in shadow.

"Last I remember, we do have guards that patrol the sewers," Sith replied calmly, "But it's been nearly seven years. That's a long time for this place to change." Bakura blinked at her. Seven years seemed too long.

"How can that be? You came here when you were…" Bakura began, but Sith cut him off.

"I haven't been in the sewers for seven years," Sith corrected, as they turned a sharp corner down a narrower tunnel, "The last time I was, it was to find a necklace I dropped. I remember a guard helping me, but who's to say the guards still come down here?" As Sith and Bakura continued to speak, Seth took to looking at the walls, which he started to regret quickly. Though they were still golden, the darkness made them look grimy, and he could see some form of liquid trickling down their indents. Tree roots had begun to burst through these narrower tunnels, bringing the smell of fresh earth with them. It irritated Seth to smell it.

"Are we getting any closer!?" Seth whined after what felt like hours to him, though it'd really only been a few minutes, "I'm sick of smelling this… this… this rat hole." Sith jerked to an angry stop, and in the process, stopped Atemu as well. She turned back and glared daggers at Seth.

"I'm getting quite sick of your complaining, Seth," she said politely, but furiously, "You haven't produced a single beneficial idea to us, so unless you plan to do anything useful, other than shout and make noise, then I suggest you shut your mouth or get the hell out of our sights. There is no room for hinderers like you." Seth raised an eyebrow as Sith spoke, obviously feeling she was out of place. Atemu said nothing to stop her, but Seth decided to change that.

"I suggest _you_ shut your mouth for once, Sith," he said arrogantly, and Sith looked at him in complete shock, "All _you_ do is boss us around, and in case you haven't noticed, you're actually the lowest-ranking person here. You're a soldier, nothing more. Your duty is to protect the pharaoh, not make potshots at me for your problems. It's not my fault your brother is ruining your life." If Seth planned for Sith to lose it, his plan worked. Sith's eyes flashed angrily, and throwing her sword down, she dashed over and kicked Seth hard in the shins. He fell.

"_Son of a BITCH!_" she screamed angrily, as Karim and Mahaado both rushed to hold her back, "_I'm going to kill you for your remarks! This is YOUR fault, you lazy bastard!! YOU were the one who shirked your job, not me!_" Even Bakura was hanging onto her arms as she pin-wheeled to kick Seth again. Unfortunately, she missed as Seth got up and smiled wickedly. He seemed to enjoy that Sith was acting out right in front of Atemu, who looked terrified. Finally, Sith calmed down, as the three men had let her go. But she was breathing heavily. Seth walked over to her.

"Just die," Sith growled angrily. Seth raised an eyebrow again, and pointed one finger to her head. He pressed on her forehead until finally she fell backwards into the water, which was filled with traces of sewage. Down she went, and Bakura screamed angrily when she didn't come back up.

"Stay in the mud like the bitch you are," Seth mumbled. But Atemu could hear him, and as he turned, he saw what he could only think of as the wrath of the gods themselves. Atemu's pendant blazed angrily.

"Get out of here," he growled, slowly at first, and then he began yelling as loud as he could, "_GET OUT!_ Leave us, Seth! Get out, and don't come back until we're finished with this mission! Return to the palace NOW!" As he yelled, Atemu advanced ferociously toward Seth, who looked only moderately confused, but undaunted.

"You're relieving me?" Seth asked. Atemu was sure he'd lose his temper like Sith did.

"I warned you to never speak to Sith like that, and you've done far worse to her," Atemu stated, his voice cold and unforgiving, "I do not care if we finish, but I want you to leave right now. Go back, and face Akunadin. I do not care what he does. I do not care if you're killed, or dismissed, or imprisoned, but get out of my sights or I will summon the gods themselves to deal with you. You have acted in a manner that deserves only death, and nothing less." Atemu could hear Bakura shivering, still watching for Sith to float up, and yet she didn't appear.

"With all due respect, my pharaoh, I didn't disrespect you. Sith is out of line," Seth replied calmly, "She has done nothing but order us around since we found her. She has even gotten arrogant with you. Are you really saying you'd favor her impudence over my loyalty?"

"I favor her honor and responsibility over your lies and sniping remarks," Atemu stated bitterly, "Yes, I favor her much more than you right now. She has done everything I have ever asked, without a shred of complaint. Her slanted words could never hurt me as much as you have, and her slanted words still hold truth to them. Now leave me, until I know Sith is safe, or I will have you killed." Seth looked over at Karim and Mahaado, but neither of them seemed to be even remotely sympathetic to him. Sighing, he walked back through the tunnels, leaving everyone else at the water's edge, praying for Sith to return.

"She hasn't surfaced yet," Karim whispered. Something began bobbing up toward the top, but it was simply her sword, gray with damage. Bakura fished it out, holding it while holding back tears. Atemu looked at the water, and yet Sith didn't come up.

"Her sword…" Bakura whispered, laying it down, "She never lets go of it for too long."

"It isn't black, though," Karim replied, trying to keep their spirits from crashing, "She might… have a chance."

"She has none," Atemu stated, both devastated and furious, "Those waters are weighed with dangerous chemicals and waste. She's… she drowned. She died and I did nothing to prevent it… I stood there, terrified to calm her down." Bakura noticed that Atemu was shaking violently, and beckoned him to sit down with them. He did so, never taking his eyes off of the sword.

"I should've stabbed him when I first saw you three," Bakura grumbled, passing the sword to Atemu, "I should've killed him when I had that chance." Atemu took the sword and looked at it. Then he turned away. He couldn't look at the metal, which gleamed and shined in a reflected light. It seemed to mock the emptiness he now felt.

"Pharaoh?" Mahaado called softly, "Will you be all right?" Atemu looked at him blankly, and shook his head. He didn't know what he actually felt, but he knew he wasn't "all right."

"Of course he isn't!" Bakura snapped angrily, standing up, "None of us are all right! We all watched that bastard drown Sith! If anything, I think we've all been royally screwed! But you know what? I say we go on. We go on, kill Sith's brother, and then head back and beat the living shit out of Seth. I say that's what we do." Atemu blinked, as Bakura ranted and walked down a random path, not watching where he was headed. The thought appealed highly to the pharaoh, even though it was against all he was meant to stand for, to just kill indiscriminately like he wanted to right then.

"Pharaoh?" Karim called, as Mahaado stood up, "The choice is yours to make. Do we go on?" Atemu still didn't answer. Speech seemed almost beyond him as he slowly got himself off of the floor and made his way to the edge, where the water drifted. He looked into the water, but could see nothing beyond the surface. However, he could see that Bakura had fallen into the water and was fighting against the current.

"HELP!" Bakura screamed, slashing and thrashing about, "Shit… I fell in, _HELP ME!_" Karim and Mahaado both rushed over, but Bakura was too far away to grab. Atemu looked at him, wondering just how he managed to fall in, when Bakura let out an unnaturally shrill scream.

"Bakura, calm down!" Mahaado called, still trying to find something to help him.

"_Something has my ankle!_" Bakura screeched, and soon was pulled under. Atemu continued to watch, completely unable to place any actual feelings, until Knight Sith leapt out of the water, landing on the edge and spilling water everywhere. She was covered in seaweed and soaked paper, but she was alive. And she had Bakura with her. Atemu's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you sent this moron to fetch me, Atemu," Sith said, letting Bakura go as gently as she could. He fell to the floor slowly, gasping for air. Atemu opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't. Sith walked over, still dripping water everywhere.

"Sith!? How did you manage to survive?" Karim exclaimed, exasperated, "Surely you died! You were under for more than ten minutes!" Sith turned sharply to Karim, glaring at him. Then she realized that he wasn't Seth, and her expression calmed.

"It wasn't easy, but I had to literally explode my way through the sewage," Sith replied, "I wasted a lot of power using consecutive Inferno spells." Karim smiled weakly, very relieved to see that Sith had survived. Atemu tilted his head, eyes still wide with confusion. Sith glanced at him, deeply concerned, but that concern turned to shock when he threw his arms around her and started crying.

"I-I thought you'd… S-Sith, I was so scared," Atemu whispered, as Sith patted his back comfortingly, "I didn't think you'd make it… I thought you died… I thought I lost you."

"It'll take more than one disrespectful idiot and a bunch of sewage to take me out, Atemu," Sith replied firmly, "Speaking of idiots, where _is_ Seth?" She looked around, thinking maybe she had miscounted. But she hadn't. Only four people were with her. Atemu let go of her and wiped his eyes, slowly regaining a regal posture as opposed to his newer, defeated one.

"I dismissed him from this mission," Atemu replied, "I lost my temper when you went down. I just… what he said after that… I wanted to murder him myself. I told him to not treat you with disrespect, that you had just as much status as he did, and he… he disobeyed a direct order. I couldn't take what he said about you." Sith's brow furrowed.

"What'd he say about me?" she asked, intrigued, but not angry. Bakura sputtered, clumsily getting up as Atemu looked away, unwilling to repeat what he'd heard dripping out of Seth's mouth. Sith turned to Bakura, the same bewildered look in her eyes.

"He told you to stay in the dirt like the bitch you are," Bakura growled, "And trust me, "Princely" over there nipped that little weed in the bud before going completely insane on his sorry ass." Sith's eyes widened this time, and she looked from Bakura to Atemu, and then back to Bakura again, unable to believe what she heard.

"He said that!?" she yelled, "About _me_!?" Everyone nodded, and then Sith turned to Atemu. "And you… defended me?" Atemu nodded, and Sith smiled.

"I almost went to kill him, too," Atemu admitted, "But that's not a thing the pharaoh should do, is it?" Sith laughed, and shook her head.

"No. Rather, the pharaoh lets his pissed-off, vengeful knight kill his priest for him," Sith replied, laughing, "Come on. We'd better go find the little maggot before he gets himself killed. And trust me, if someone somehow heard what happened, he WILL be killed." Bakura, having actually seen where Seth had headed, took the lead. They walked down a narrow tunnel, each one of them thinking of different ways to deal with what happened.

---

"I can't believe he dismissed me like that!" Seth hissed to himself as he stormed down the tunnel, holding one torch that he'd found high above him, "So what if Sith drowned? She's overstepped her boundaries by far." Seth narrowed his eyes angrily, as though he could kill Sith simply by glaring. He knew he lost his temper, but he felt justified. He hated putting up with Sith.

"With any luck, she'll resurface and he'll realize he made a mistake," Seth grumbled, and then stopped, looking down, "Yeah, like that'll happen. She must've drowned. And even if she didn't, I seriously doubt he'd consider letting me back." Walking ahead after a moment of thought, Seth suddenly found that he felt horrible about what he'd done. No, not what he'd done, what he _said_.

"But… she insulted me first," Seth whispered, "She called my mother a bitch. I had every right to push her down."

'_No you didn't, and you know it, priest,_' came a whisper that Seth didn't recognize. Seth's eyes widened and he flattened against the wall, terrified. The voice wasn't loud, or threatening him, but there was a power in it that terrified him. And how did it know what he did, anyway?

"Who are you!?" Seth demanded, "Show yourself!" He made his way to an intersection, and stopped. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going. And now, he felt as though something were trying to find him. And it only made him scared.

'_You'd love to know who I am, wouldn't you?_' The voice said, and though nothing was there, Seth could feel the person behind the voice grinning, '_You'll find out soon enough, if you continue toward the palace._'

"The palace? But…" Seth stopped, remembering what Sith had said earlier. Her brother had amazing powers, and she said his voice could terrify men simply by speaking. This had to be him. "You're Sith's brother!" Seth exclaimed. The voice laughed.

'_Are you so sure, priest? For all you know, you might just be going insane,_' the voice laughed. Seth clenched his fists. He knew. Somehow, Sceppiro knew what happened. He knew they were coming, which meant the others were dead if he found them.

"Leave me alone!" Seth screamed, and ran down the nearest tunnel he could. He didn't look at the plated signs, not that he cared. He was in Sceppiro's grasp now, and all he wanted was to get away. He could hear Sceppiro laughing at the end of his mind. Frantically, he went down another tunnel, nearly slipping on the stones.

'_Why in such a rush? Are you worried I'll hurt your friends? How about your pharaoh?_' the voice asked, mockingly, '_Or even Sith?_' Seth screeched to a halt this time, and for a minute, he wasn't afraid.

"Wait… Sith's alive?" he asked.

'_Unfortunately, yes. You could've saved me a lot of work, except that her Inferno spell saved her,_' the voice replied, '_Again, though, why do you care? You were the one who tried to kill her._' Seth closed his eyes tight.

"Be silent!" he yelled, continuing on. He didn't care where he went, or even if he found Atemu. He had to get out. Sceppiro was driving him insane. As he turned a corner, he didn't notice that he actually passed everyone else. Bakura halted.

"Was that Seth?" he could hear Mahaado asking.

"Yes, it was," Atemu had said, "Seth, stop! Where are you going!?" Though he heard the order, Seth was too terrified by Sceppiro to stop running. Everyone ran after him, but his fear made him faster than most of them.

"Damn it! He's too fast!" Bakura yelled, as Seth turned a corner and vanished. Sith, however, went far ahead, as she was much faster than even Bakura. They ran to keep up, but were too far away to help. They saw as Sith jumped over a pile of broken bricks, and finally grasped Seth by the collar of his robes and pulled him down. It was only then that his fear of Sceppiro vanished. He panted heavily, and Sith knew he was shivering. She sat him down.

"Seth, what happened!?" she asked, and though Seth could hear the worry in her voice, it took him a minute to answer.

"Voice… his voice," Seth mumbled, "He knows you're here, Sith." Sith looked back as Atemu and the others came rushing up, just as concerned as she.

"Who's coming?" she asked, turning back to Seth.

"Your brother," Seth whispered, "He spoke to me… his voice was terrifying, just like you'd said. It was like a nightmare." Sith's eyes widened, and Seth knew something horrible had happened. She never looked so upset before.

"What!? He spoke to you!?" Sith asked, now in a complete panic, "Seth, what did he say?"

"He… he just started mocking me about what happened," Seth replied, trying to remember clearly. But everything was suddenly becoming very blurry. Sith's expression softened, but he knew she was thinking hard.

"Damn it, this isn't good," Sith mumbled angrily, turning to Atemu, "If my brother knows we're here, we're in a lot of trouble. And if he actually contacted Seth, we're pretty much dead."

"Why?" Atemu asked, as Bakura helped Seth to stand. He felt very weak, but didn't object to the thief. Sith gripped her sword, exhaling heavily.

"Because he has a link to us. He can see everything we do, everything we say, everything we try to plan. We're in shambles," Sith replied grimly, "He's much more powerful than I. And if he knows my abilities, he'll counter them." Mahaado gasped, and Bakura clenched his fists angrily. Their mission was much harder, and everyone knew that. Seth coughed a little, and looked at Sith.

"Why did he choose me?" he asked, "I doubt I'm more powerful than you are, though I hate to admit that much." Sith's lips tightened, a sure sign that she didn't have an answer.

"Hmmm," she said, thinking hard, "Well, you might have some use to him that we just don't know of yet. And you _are_ the most likely to turn on us anyway. He can use that. Do not ever run off like that again." Seth blinked. Was Sith really scolding him for something he couldn't control? Atemu had dismissed him! He didn't have a choice!

"I had no choice!" Seth cried defensively, "The pharaoh told me to leave. What could I have done?" Sith gave him a disbelieving stare as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I'd have thought trying to help me was a good start," she said coldly, "But I forgot for a second, you're the one who wanted me dead. Of course that wouldn't occur to you." Seth twitched. Sith was getting on his nerves again, though a small part of him told himself that her anger was warranted.

"Well, he's here, so what do we do?" Bakura asked, his hand resting casually over a dagger on his belt. Seth eyed it carefully, watching Bakura's movements in case he drew it. Sith looked to Atemu, who seemed very bitter to let Seth back in.

"Sith, he tried to kill you," Atemu whispered, "Are you telling me to let him join us again? You, of everyone?" Sith nodded grimly. Seth could tell neither one liked her choice.

"We don't have many options, Atemu. My brother will try and control him without us there," Sith replied, as though Seth weren't there listening, "And though I'm worried about another unwarranted attempt on my life, that's a risk I'll take over my brother collecting another pawn for this war." Atemu looked disheartened to hear that statement, but he understood. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"All right," he said, and then turned to Seth, "One more temper tantrum, and you'll be dismissed from my palace entirely. I mean it this time. Your actions have already nearly killed my knight twice." Seth swallowed hard, and then nodded. Sith, who'd taken the minute to examine something else on the wall, started walking down a shorter tunnel. Even from there, Bakura could see that it spilled golden light into the edge of this tunnel. He grinned.

"Does this mean we're close to the palace?" he asked, joining Sith. She glanced back at him, and nodded as Atemu joined them, if only to glare at Bakura. Bakura's grin widened when he saw this.

"Yes. Just around this corner, and the steps should be…. here," Sith replied, as they turned. Indeed, the steps leading upward were there, and the grate above was wide opened, letting in a refreshingly cold breeze. When the three priests managed to see the door, they were so relieved that they ran ahead of Sith and out into the open daylight again.

"Come on, let's go!" Bakura exclaimed playfully, taking Sith's hand and pulling her up the stairs with him. Atemu's eyes widened angrily, and he clenched his fists to keep himself from going after Bakura. Sith looked back down at him, very nervous, and he smiled. She was really uncomfortable with what was going on. Atemu ran up the stairs after them, and the three of them burst into the early morning sunlight as well. Bakura inhaled vigorously.

"It feels nice to be out of there," Sith commented, letting go of Bakura quickly, "Though the sewers are clean, the air is stagnant down there. I prefer this." Atemu silently agreed. Seth was looking at something towards their right, however, and when Atemu turned, he saw that it was the palace. And it was incredibly close. It was breath-taking from this distant. Pure, blue crystals poked into the sky, and each one refracted the light in a different and equally stunning way. At the tops, Atemu could barely see that they were capped with gold. The doors and windows were made of a clearer crystal, but the frames were gold as well.

"You _lived_ there?" Bakura asked, breathless, "It's beautiful!" Sith, however, didn't look impressed at all. No, if anything, she was upset. Atemu glanced at her with deep concern.

"Let's go in, if we're planning on going in at all," she said quietly. Atemu could tell she didn't want to go inside, and the more they stood out there, the more she regretted her decision. Nodding, Atemu led the way toward the front doors, which towered above him. Sith came up shortly after and touched the doors, which glowed in response. Then, slowly but quietly, they opened up. A feeling of terror and darkness rushed out, and everyone shivered. Now they had to go in, as it felt like none of them could escape. One by one, they made their way into the large hall, where a giant staircase stood.

"Sceppiro, you had better show yourself."

-----------------------------(End chapter)

Well, Atemu's group finally made it inside the castle, but the danger's far from over. Can they find Sceppiro in this mighty castle that strikes fear into the hearts of anyone venturing too close? And will Sceppiro try to torment Seth again? What was his purpose for contacting the scared priest? And will Cydandilus join them again? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	9. Enter Sceppiro, Desperate Ruler

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he won't use Sith, no matter how many times I bribe him to.

Shivering and ready to pee himself, Shaddah stood in the middle of the large, empty courtroom, joined by Isis. Akunadin and Saimun were in front of the throne, acting as a replacement for Atemu. Because most of the guards had run off in pure terror from the pharaoh's screaming, only two stood by the door.

"Why did you lie to us?" Saimun asked calmly. Isis glared at Shaddah, and he looked down.

"Technically, we didn't lie. We did go to look for him," Shaddah said quietly.

"Did you know he left the city!?" Akunadin demanded furiously. Shaddah looked over at Isis, who rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Not exactly," Isis replied, "We didn't actually know where he was." Akunadin raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Let me rephrase that: Did you know he left the palace?" Akunadin asked again, this time his frown set even deeper than either priest felt was natural. Isis bit her lip.

"Sort of," she said as Shaddah burst out, "YES! Yes, we knew! He said he was leaving to find Knight Sith! Okay? We lied to save our asses!" Saimun and Akunadin looked concerned as they stared at Shaddah, and Isis just glared daggers as she slapped him on the head.

"Are you insane!? What do you think you're doing!?" she asked angrily, as the two guards began to approach them. Shaddah looked at her.

"I can't lie! They're older than us! It'd be rude!" Shaddah cried, and then grabbed Isis's wrist again, "Oh, just run again! Maybe we can escape before they kill us!" As he dashed out into the hall, Isis kept struggling to break free. They could hear Akunadin screaming back in the courtroom, and it only made Shaddah run faster.

"Do you want us to go to jail!?" Isis hissed, as the two bowled past a line of servants waiting to get into the kitchen.

"Less talking… more escaping…" Shaddah gasped, running down the stairs.

"And where do we escape to!?" Isis demanded as they ran into the darkened halls of the prisoners' tower, "There's guards _everywhere!_" Shaddah suddenly stopped and looked around. The cells were all empty, and he suddenly got an idea.

"Quick! In here!" he exclaimed, pushing the poor girl into a cell, running in, and then closing the door, "They won't find us here!"

---

"This place is so… huge," Atemu whispered, unable to find another word to describe the hall, "My palace feels like a shoebox compared to this." He stared at the crystal walls in awe, as Bakura touched one of them. It felt like ice, which wasn't surprising, but it glimmered when he took his hand away.

"There's so much magic here," Bakura commented, walking over to Sith, "Was it hard to separate from it all?" Sith glanced at him, and nodded slowly.

"It was at first, but now it feels wrong to be here," she replied, walking ahead toward the bottom stair, "Maybe not wrong… but something doesn't feel right. Ominous, almost." Bakura tilted his head as he went to join her again.

"Because of your brother?" he asked, leaning on the slim, golden railing. Sith looked down at the floor and nodded.

"Yes. It's a sickening feeling," Sith replied, as Atemu joined them, "To see what he's done to my home up close… to hear my uncle want to take him down… It's heartbreaking." Atemu placed a hand on her back comfortingly, and she smiled weakly.

"Then let's fix it," he said. Sith nodded, and stepped on one of the stairs. Her boots clacked on it, but didn't chip the pure diamond flooring. Atemu and Bakura followed her up, followed by the three priests. It was eerie to hear that not even their footsteps seemed to be making any sounds, and that the palace seemed deserted. They walked all the way up until they reached the next floor, and were face-to-face with two large, crystal doors, much like the ones at the entrance.

"I'm going to guess that this is the throne room," Seth said, reaching out to grab the handle. It sparked angrily, and he withdrew his hand. Sith frowned.

"He's trapped the doors," she stated, and Seth stepped back as she closed her eyes and used a bolt of her own to disperse the spark. The doors opened swiftly, revealing a huge chamber that was at least twice as huge as the courtroom in Atemu's palace. A single throne was set in the end of the room, with another set of large doors leading to a balcony outside. Sith drew her sword, and with Bakura, rushed over to the throne only to find it empty.

"Sceppiro's not here," Sith said simply, staring blankly at the throne. She recognized it all too well as the throne her father had sat in, ruling Nesce with a gentle heart and merciful palm. And it was the last place she saw her father. Except that instead of being covered in colorful linens, it was covered in black tapestry.

"Why would he trap the doors?" Mahaado asked, looking around the room, "Is it possible that he's hiding in here?" He, Karim, and Seth each held up a small piece of parchment, chanting a quick spell. Those parchments became lanterns, and each priest went to check a different corner of the room where the shadows were thickest. Nothing was there.

"He must be trying to confuse us," Atemu said, looking out the balcony doors to the city far below. If everything looked bad down there, it looked terrible from this high up. He wondered how Sceppiro could cause so much damage and care so little. Bakura glanced at Sith, who continued to stare at the throne.

"Are you all right, Sith?" he asked gently, and she could tell he was genuinely worried for her.

"This was… the last place I saw my father," she replied slowly, "Before he died… this was the last place I saw any of my family, any of my friends… and it's become so infected with evil magic. It's disheartening." Bakura looked down. He could understand, and he felt bad that Sith had to relive what happened because of one stupid chair.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I know how you feel. Well, maybe not exactly, but I can understand." Sith glanced at him, smiling weakly for just a second. But her gaze quickly returned to the throne.

"It doesn't make sense," she said suddenly, "My brother… yes, he shut down communications, but why would he do this? Why destroy his own capital? And why would he run from me?" As Seth, Mahaado, and Karim came back, Sith walked over to the balcony doors. She could see that the large balcony had taken some form of damage, but as she looked, she noticed that something with the city wasn't right. Maybe it was because of all of the damage, but Sith began to wonder if Sceppiro had actually battled. She noticed that even the door had received some sort of blow to the handles, the lock being broken off entirely. Frowning, she thrust the doors open and walked onto the balcony.

"Sith?" Atemu called, following, "Did you find something?" At first, Sith didn't answer. She looked over the side toward the city. It was certainly destroyed, but the way it was indicated projectiles, not magic.

"He didn't do this," she whispered, looking at the mountains, though what she was looking at wasn't known. Bakura ran out, followed by Seth. Mahaado and Karim stayed back to keep a lookout.

"He didn't do what?" Atemu asked, looking down with Sith.

"He didn't destroy the capital," Sith replied quietly, "Look there. Over where we met my uncle. I thought I smelled something unfamiliar, and I'm right. Magic didn't do this, and my brother refuses to use manmade weapons. I know him, he wouldn't use anything that smelled strongly of gunpowder." Bakura looked over suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. He didn't understand what Sith was trying to get to, but obviously it was important to her.

"Are you saying he's trying to stop the war?" Bakura asked, "But then why is he setting a bounty on you? You could help him!"

"I don't know," Sith replied calmly, "My brother is very different from my father. His way of dealing with this isn't normal. But I know someone tried to force their way in. That's why he's not here. But who? And what did happen? I need to know what's going on before I just rush in and kill him." Atemu agreed, and though he hated to admit it, Seth did as well. He leaned on the railing. It was old, and rusted from something, but still stable.

"Can we find out anything about the war? Is there a place where we could find records?" Seth asked. Sith bit her lip, trying to think. It'd been years since she'd been anywhere in the palace, and she was sure Sceppiro switched everything around once he took control.

"I'm not sure. There was a library, but I don't know if Sceppiro took it down," Sith replied, heading back to the balcony doors, "I doubt any intelligence reports will help us with Sceppiro, but another place to try is his room. Knowing him, he probably writes his plans down somewhere, and that could help." Bakura grinned, and Seth snorted a little.

"So, do we split up?" Atemu asked, taking his arms off the railing and following Sith again as she walked back into the chamber. She glanced back and shook her head.

"Definitely not. If Sceppiro can manipulate Seth, it's not a safe idea," she replied grimly, "We'll go directly to his room. I at least know where that is, or where it may be. The library might have nothing, but my brother is a very… cynical, and unusually watchful. He'll keep his plans." Without looking back for either approval or a response, Sith walked out of the chamber, with everyone else scrambling to keep up. She walked down the left path leading into the west wing of the palace. Rooms lined the long hall, and as they peeked in some of them, it became clear that this area of the castle was for living quarters. Most of the rooms were empty now, but Sith stopped in front of one, opening the door and walking in. Atemu went in, to find Sith simply standing in the center, looking at the bed.

"Sith, what's wrong?" he asked, walking inside. Seth and Bakura peeked in as well, letting their curiosity control them.

"This was my room before I left," she whispered, going to the vanity. It was made of a very rich wood, much like the bed was. Sith picked up a brush and continued, "It hasn't changed a bit since I left. Sceppiro… left it as is." She put the brush down and walked over to a small sofa that was covered with plush dolls. Most of them were different kinds of cats, but there were a few other toys interspersed. Atemu's eyes widened when he saw a small wooden cat on the windowsill.

"The cat statue… you kept it?" he asked, picking it up. Sith smiled, and nodded.

"Of course. You gave that to me for my tenth birthday. You thought I'd throw it away?" she asked. Atemu shrugged, and put the statue down. Sith rested a hand on the marble fireplace and sighed as she said, "I miss this room sometimes."

"I… will have the guards escort you here when we're finished, if you want to stay," Atemu said hesitantly. Sith looked back at him.

"I didn't say I wanted that," she replied, "I'm just saying, I miss my room." She picked up the cat statue and pocketed it, feeling that she should've insisted on packing her things when she left the first time. That could wait, though. She walked back to the door, and turned to Atemu again, "Nostalgia is a terrible illness sometimes. Let's move on before I catch it." Then she was out of the room. Atemu walked out, and she had already walked over to another room across the hall. Carefully, she opened it. To her surprise, it was still in use, as the bed was unmade. Carefully, she walked in, Bakura close behind. The room smelled strongly of cologne, and Seth wrinkled his nose.

"Whose room is this?" Mahaado asked, as he came in. Sith walked over to the desk. The chair had an old coat lying on it. Sith picked it up and recognized it. It was Sceppiro's.

"My brother still uses his old room," Sith commented, putting the coat down, "He didn't move into my father's old chambers." Atemu tilted his head as Sith continued to talk. She opened drawers, pulling out their contents and then putting them back when she sifted through them. She worked quickly, and finally slapped a folder onto the table. Raising an eyebrow, Seth took them and opened the file up.

"Your brother's insane!" he exclaimed angrily, flipping through the file, "Sith, listen. He's not fighting because whoever's attacking Nesce has something of your family's. He's trying to get it back! And he thinks that somehow, the pharaoh is the key." Sith blinked, and snatched the file, reading it. She was shocked. Sceppiro was desperate.

"This is… unreal," she whispered, "Atemu, he plans on using me to bring you here, and then he's going to use you to bribe his enemies into giving back the Mythril sphere." Atemu was confused as he read the file with Sith. It was very complex, and well-thought, but it was dangerous.

"Mythril sphere?" he asked, "What… is that?" Sith looked at the desk, sighing.

"It is a device that my father made to hold the most dangerous spells and keep them from being cast. It holds five, I believe, but my brother seems to think that it holds one ultimate spell. He seems to misunderstand its construction," she explained, "The five spells, when used apart, can alter the physical. One of them can even send people to space. But when used together, these five spells can rip apart time-space itself. Sceppiro seems to only know of that, so he assumes it's one spell." Bakura raised a very skeptical brow as Atemu let him look through the file.

"So is he helping us or not?" Bakura asked, putting the file down, "If he won't use it, why is he putting you both in so much danger?"

"My brother isn't sane," Sith put it simply, "His mind is twisted from what happened with our father. He doesn't realize what he's doing, nor does he understand the danger he's putting himself into. In his own way, he believes he's doing the right thing." Atemu noticed the worried tone in Sith's voice, as did Seth. Seth glanced at the doorway nervously.

"We should leave then," Seth stated, "You both are in a lot of danger, and as a priest, I cannot allow the pharaoh to be placed into such a threat. And ultimately, that means helping you as well, Sith." Sith was about to reply until a shadow crossed the room, stretching from the door to the wall. Everyone shivered, as that shadow gave off a terrifying feeling. Only Sith turned around to look at the figure.

"Sceppiro," she said grimly. He stepped into the room, and his face came into view. Green eyes stared at the group though thick purple glasses, and his frown was set deep into his face. Though not angry, or even threatening, he wasn't happy to see Sith. His green overcoat billowed in an invisible wind.

"Hello, sister," he said calmly, "I didn't expect you to arrive here during my absence." Bakura and Seth both drew their weapons, but Sith withheld hers.

"We know what you're trying to do, Sceppiro," she stated, pointing to the file on the desk, "I won't allow you to use it." Now she drew her blade. Sceppiro smiled warmly when he saw the purple steel, the light around it swirling in marvelous splendor. The sword in his belt reacted.

"Ah, I see you still use Stormbreaker," he said gently, referring to her sword, "Unusual, but comforting to know. But I am not here to kill you all. I came to take the plan and present it to you, only to find you already know of it." Sith relaxed, but tilted her head.

"What are you planning, Sceppiro?" she asked, "I do not understand. Why did you plan to kill me?"

"Because I knew you would try to stop me," Sceppiro replied sternly, the gray streak of his hair billowing, "Sith, you do not understand what's actually happening here. This war… those people… they want to release the Mythril sphere. Do you understand what that means?" Sith glared angrily at her brother, throwing her sword into the ground angrily.

"That gives you no right to use me, or Atemu, for your plans!" she yelled, her wings stiffening, "They've been attacking Egypt as well, Sceppiro. But that doesn't mean we'd sacrifice Nesce to save it. Your plan won't work. And the fact that you would even plan such a thing is angering. How could you do that to our allies? To me?" She looked at Sceppiro, and she saw that he had regret. He wasn't insane as she thought. He was truly desperate.

"Atemu was to simply be bait for them. To distract them while I prepare Cyd's new weapon," Sceppiro explained, "I never meant Egypt to be attacked. Why they would attack it, I don't know. If I'd known, I would've opened all forms of communication. I had it closed down because there was no need. Trade wasn't going well, because of our location." Bakura blinked as Sith looked down.

"Are you telling us you didn't know that we were being attacked?" Sith asked seriously. Sceppiro nodded.

"All I knew was that you were coming to stop me, and that Atemu was coming for you," Sceppiro replied, "I swear by it. I didn't realize Egypt was attacked. I assumed you were coming because you had heard of my plans."

"Looks like someone botched up an intelligence report," Seth growled angrily, crossing his arms, "So, does this mean we're all on the same side? Who exactly are we going after?" Though he looked to Sith for the answers, she simply shrugged to indicate that she had no answer. To their surprise, Sceppiro was more than willing to provide more explanations.

"On the same side? I do not ask for such forgiveness, considering my rather horrifying plans," Sceppiro informed them courteously, "As for who we are after, that I know to some extent. Sith, do you remember quite a long time ago, the man who came here to propose a deal to our father over the custody of the sphere?" Sith narrowed her eyes in thought, but couldn't recall. She remembered an argument many years ago between her father and another important person from a different region, but it was blurred and mostly unrecognizable.

"No. I was only six, Sceppiro," Sith said sternly, "Why? Is he the one?" Sceppiro shook his head, and Sith wondered why he'd bring it up.

"Not exactly, but his people are the ones at war with us," Sceppiro replied, "What's horrifying is that whoever is leading them is an Esper, like we are. To think, an Esper would be double-crossing us…" Sceppiro looked down in shame, as though he himself might've been who sent the traitor to their enemies. Sith felt sympathetic, but Seth certainly didn't appear to fall for it, if it was a ruse.

"Oh for the love of Osiris!" Seth yelled angrily, throwing his arms up, "Don't tell me you all fall for this! Are you telling me that you actually had no idea we were under attack? That you had us go through wintry hell to find you so you could speak with us? I don't buy your little trick, Sceppiro, so stop playing and start telling us the truth!" Sceppiro looked at Seth in shock, as though he'd been slapped hard across the face. Sith glared angrily at the priest, but Seth continued, "Why the hell did you talk to me in the sewers if you planned to help us? Was it to just mess with my head? Was it a kick for you? Do you just enjoy hurting your own allies or are you really just a heartless…"

"That is quite _enough!_" Sith yelled angrily, stepping between the two, "Seth, silence that tongue or I'll cut it out. I will not allow you to talk to my brother like this." Sceppiro smiled weakly at his sister, but then looked down at the floor again. Seth was taken back by Sith's anger, but no one objected.

"Sith, are you telling me that you'd believe him? He tried to kill you," Seth reminded her. Sith simply smirked with mock.

"As did you, and notice that I let you live anyway," Sith retorted, walking to the bed and sitting down, "Sceppiro doesn't understand why I chose to stay in Egypt. Mix that with this war, and I can see why he lost his mind. He wasn't ready to inherit the throne… and if anyone could've helped him, it was me. And I chose to leave." Sceppiro nodded dully, but Sith continued without noticing, "I left because our father asked it, Sceppiro. I didn't abandon you. But he saw the danger I could've returned to, so he asked me to remain in Egypt. I… do not know what he planned for you." Sceppiro finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Sith. His shoulders slumped, and he took off his glasses.

"You… he asked you to stay?" he asked gently. Sith nodded.

"Yes. I thought you knew this," she replied, a small smile appearing, "I… always meant to come back here. But… not like this. Sceppiro, I'm sorry that things happened this way." For once that entire meeting, their expressions looked nearly identical, each one feeling guilty for something that had happened. Sceppiro took a step forward and hugged Sith.

"It's… all right. You could do nothing, Sith," Sceppiro admitted, pulling away, "This was my fault. My stubbornness created the scenario that led to our kingdom's downfall. Instead of blaming Egypt for taking you away, I should've kept contact with the pharaoh. Maybe then… maybe then, you wouldn't have come like this, and we would've already won the war." Sith patted Sceppiro's shoulder and looked at Atemu. He knew she wanted to ask her brother to join them. Hesitantly, Atemu nodded. Sith waited until her brother looked at her again.

"Sceppiro, I think you should come with us," Sith said, dusting her shoulder pad off, "We'll help you get the sphere back. That's the least I can do for Nesce." Sceppiro's eyes widened, surprised at such an offer. He looked at everyone assembled.

"You would… allow this?" he asked Atemu, putting his glasses back on, "Even after I had nearly killed every single one of you closing the gates?" Atemu nodded, and smiled as he looked at Sith.

"Technically, Sith and my priests were already in Nesce when you closed the gates. Only Bakura and I suffered that one," Atemu replied, chuckling slightly, "And yes, I allow this. Your actions are questionable, but you seem an honest man." Bakura grinned as well.

"Besides, we're already involved in your little war. What's one more man going to hurt?" Bakura asked. Sith snickered with the pride he displayed, and Sceppiro smiled warmly.

"Thank you. You all are doing Nesce a favor where none should be given," Sceppiro said graciously, "My vision is clear, and I now know that what happened between my sister and I was due to my father's wish, not because of anger. I only wish that you all can find forgiveness with me."

"We already have," Mahaado replied gently, "Regardless of how any of us feel, you are Sith's brother and what we do is up to her." Sith nodded approvingly, crossing her arms. Seth, however, detested what was going on.

"Wait! We're letting him come because of what he _says_? What about the sewers?" Seth reminded them, exasperated, "Why would he freak me out like that just to join us? Do you all honestly expect me to forgive him?" Sceppiro raised a confused brow as he took off his longcoat to reveal dark armor underneath.

"You came through the sewers?" Sceppiro asked, genuinely confused, "I didn't think anyone could get through there. As for talking to you, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." His expression was genuine, and Seth growled angrily when Sceppiro denied knowing about what happened. He dashed forward and grabbed the confused Esper by the collar.

"Do not lie to us, Esper," Seth growled angrily, lifting Sceppiro off of the floor, "I know what I heard." Sceppiro shut one eye in slight pain, his ears drooping sadly.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Sceppiro said, through strained breaths, "I've lost my ability to use telepathy, as I haven't used it since before our father…" Before he could finish, Seth threw him down angrily.

"How truly convenient," Seth said sarcastically, crossing his arms. Sith narrowed her eyes and took hold of her sword.

"Seth, what exactly did this voice say? Did it say it was Sceppiro?" she asked, impatient, but not angry. Seth uncrossed his arms and shook his head.

"Not exactly. It said that I'd love to know who it was, and that if I continued to the palace, I'd find out," Seth replied quietly, "But… I assumed it was him." He saw instantly the flaw to his explanation. Sceppiro was intimidating, but he didn't have the terror to his voice. And he did seem very confused.

"Seth, I don't think it was the king," Karim stated cautiously, "Did it say anything else?" Seth shook his head, looking down. If it wasn't Sceppiro, who could have contacted him, and why would they do so? Sith looked to Sceppiro.

"Does anyone else know telepathy?" she asked seriously, as Sceppiro tilted his head, "It isn't a common gift with Espers. Is there anyone you know?"

"No," Sceppiro replied calmly, "The Chancellor has it, but like me, he hasn't used it in years. And he has no reason to bother you. I suppose there's our distant cousin, but I can't be sure of this." Sith's eyes widened in horror, and Atemu wondered just who they were talking about.

"Do not tell me you mean Rath," she said, but Sceppiro nodded grimly, to her dismay. Seth perked an intrigued brow.

"Who is Rath?" he asked. Sceppiro turned to him with worry.

"Rath is a distant cousin of ours," he started, "She had incredible abilities, but she often abused them to get her own way. She was… cast away from the kingdom when she learned of our mother's death." Judging by how angry Sith looked, by how stiff her wings had gotten, and by how far back her ears went, she was none too happy to hear of this woman.

"She took advantage of a horrible situation!" Sith exclaimed fiercely, "But why would she try using her power on one of us now?" Sceppiro was hesitant to answer, and it was Mahaado that gave his insight first, to everyone's surprise.

"I don't know who this girl is, but it sounds like she tried to take over," Mahaado replied gently, sitting on the chair, "Is it possible she's trying to take control of the kingdom again?" Sceppiro and Sith looked at each other worriedly. Neither of them had an answer.

"It… is possible," Sceppiro finally said, "She did try to take the queen's crown for our father. But… surely she isn't stupid as to… kill the entire family, is she?" Sith narrowed her eyes angrily.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Sith spat with disdain, "She tried to take the throne while our father was in Egypt, why not try to destroy us when we're most unstable?" Sceppiro and Atemu both laid a hand on each of her shoulders, as she had begun to shake violently with inner rage. Seth knew that whoever Rath was, she was evil. He didn't need any of the items to tell him that, and judging by the look on Karim's face, he felt the same way. Bakura heaved a heavy sigh.

"This is by far the most bizarre adventure I've ever seen through," Bakura exclaimed suddenly, making everyone look at him, "So, do we go after this cousin?" As Sith was too infuriated to answer, Sceppiro nodded.

"It would be best," he replied, letting Sith go, "I believe she lives in a small continent floating northwest of the Nesce region. It's deserted, but unless she broke her code, she should be there." Atemu nodded and looked at Sith with worry.

"Are you up to going, Sith?" he asked gently, still holding onto her tightly, as she looked ready to fall over. She nodded slowly and he said, "If you're sure." Sceppiro smiled at the two of them, and then turned toward the hall.

"We had better consult the Globe sphere before we just leave. The smaller floating islands have too much magic and can sometimes float around the area," Sceppiro warned them, as they all left the room and headed back toward the large stairway, this time going up another flight of stairs, "I want to make sure that if it's moving, we can figure out where it'll be when we arrive in the correct air flow." No one objected or agreed as they went up the steps. Atemu carefully kept his eye on Sith. She was very upset, but he couldn't exactly figure out why. He wanted to ask her, but he was afraid to push her too hard. They made their way to the highest floor in silence, where only a large door stood between them and the room beyond. The last floor was simply a small hallway leading up to that door. Sceppiro walked up to the door and knocked calmly.

"Chancellor, open up. There has been a change of plans."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Well, it turns out that though Sceppiro did put out a bounty for Sith, it wasn't for the reasons she had thought. But, does this mean Sceppiro is truly on their side? Is Seth right in not trusting him? And, who is Rath, exactly? Is she just another dead lead, or does she still want the power of the throne? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	10. The Worst Storm

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does, and he's the reason I still have my sanity.

"I can't believe your great plan to avoid the guards is to hide in here!" Isis hissed, as she sat on the cot in the cell, if it could even be called that, "We're in prison already! Why would we hide _here_!?" Shaddah, who'd been standing at the cell door keeping watch, shivered. The Prisoner's tower was drafty, especially on the lower levels. Hence why it was almost never used. Almost all of the prisoners were placed elsewhere or simply kept under surveillance depending on their crime.

"They won't look for us in here," Shaddah reminded her, "And we _are_ in a lot of trouble." Isis resentfully agreed, as most of the trouble was due to Shaddah in the first place. She wanted to scream at him. Why did he have to go and blurt out the fact that they lied? She was about to get them out of another very bad situation and he screwed it up again. She crossed her arms.

"Yes, no thanks to you, Shaddah," she said sternly, "If you'd just shut that mouth of yours and let me speak, we'd be out of the palace to find everyone else. But no, you had to pull your honesty pitch again." Shaddah stared at Isis. It was usual, and frowned upon, to lie to anyone, especially your superiors. And Isis broke both rules in the blink of an eye.

"We're High Priests. What example are we setting for the citizens by lying our way out of our responsibilities?" Shaddah asked, feeling as though he'd just won their argument. But, Isis shattered that feeling quickly.

"You assumed I was lying. We were going to go and stop him," Isis said blandly, "He had a stupid plan, and who knows what price they're paying for it. But now, we can't do anything except sit in here until you find a way to fix this." Shaddah stared at her again, eyes widening. She looked quite stubborn, and he knew she was unwilling to change her mind.

"Why me!?" he asked, and Isis smirked.

"Because you're the reason we're in here," she said, "Now, get to work."

---

As Seth and the rest of the gang stood outside two large, crystal doors that apparently led into the Observatory, Sceppiro knocked on them carefully as the others simply watched. Sith shifted nervously.

"Chancellor, please, open up," Sceppiro called gently, but when the chancellor didn't answer, Sith moved Sceppiro aside. She narrowed her eyes and kicked the door open, the doors flying with no effort at all. Right at the doorstep was the chancellor. He was dead, the whites of his eyes becoming glossy. Sith screamed and jumped back, knocking into Atemu by accident, who caught her and looked at the body in horror. Mahaado walked up and knelt down to examine, and shook his head sadly.

"He's dead, sir," Mahaado told Sceppiro, "He must've been dead for some time, as his body is as cold as the snow outside." Sith looked at Sceppiro questioningly, and he looked as horrified as Atemu was.

"T-that's… that's not possible!" Sceppiro exclaimed, kneeling as well, "I was up here not even an hour ago, speaking to him of our plans. He was supposed to get the globe warmed up so I could show you what my idea of attack was when you did come." Tears formed in Sceppiro's eyes as he said, "He was our kingdom's most loyal servant… and look at what my actions caused." Sith knelt down next to him, patting his back.

"You did not do this, Sceppiro," she said, "He was alive when you left. Someone… or something… must've attacked him when you were gone." Seth surprisingly agreed, as that seemed to be the only logical cause of the man's death. He looked from Mahaado to Sceppiro, and then noticed something strange about the man. There was a blue tint to his body. It wasn't from the lighting, as the room was too dim to cast such an effect. He tugged on Sith's cape, getting her attention, and pointed the tint out.

"Does that look natural to you?" he asked. Sith raised a puzzled eyebrow, wondering why Seth would ask her, and then knelt again to get a better look. Mahaado held a light to help her see better in the darkness. She gasped.

"My Ra… Sceppiro, the chancellor was killed by magic," Sith whispered, backing away, "Very powerful magic, at that. Was anyone else with you?" Sceppiro looked at the chancellor distantly. He was one of the best at neutralizing magical damage. Someone above even Sceppiro's power had to have done this, but Sceppiro couldn't understand who it was, or who would do such an act of treason. He shook his head as his sister's question processed in his mind.

"No, not to my knowledge," Sceppiro replied, "But… I couldn't have killed him. I'm not as strong as his defense was. And even if it was… he cared for us all as though we were his family, Sith. I would never…"

"I never said you did this, Sceppiro," Sith said calmly, "In fact, I said you didn't. But something had to have done this. Is there anyone who could've matched his power?" All eyes fell on Sceppiro, and he looked down. There was one person who did, who was still actually alive. His eyes narrowed angrily.

"Rath could have," he replied bitterly, "But only that I know of. There could be others, and we have no proof that she was here." Sith nodded grimly, as Sceppiro had a very good point. Seth walked into the room, along with Bakura and Karim. Atemu stayed back with Sith and Mahaado as Sceppiro rushed in, the thought of the globe being destroyed flashing through his mind. Thankfully, the large, crystal orb, which Seth assumed was the globe in question, was unharmed. Its surface gleamed, even in the darkness. Sceppiro sighed with relief.

"The globe survived," he said, though it wasn't as enthusiastic as Sith expected, "Was he trying to protect it?" Sith's expression softened and she returned her gaze to the chancellor. Atemu looked at him as well, and immediately thought of Saimun.

"He was a good man," Sith was saying, snapping Atemu out of his thoughts, "He loved everything my father could build from the crystal ore, whether it was just a knife or an artifact like that globe. He promised to protect everything in this castle…" She laid a hand on the chancellor's forehead, whispering a small spell in the Esper language as Atemu watched. But when she pulled her hand away, something caught her attention. She shook her hand.

"Knight Sith, what's wrong?" Mahaado asked, as she shook her hand harder. Her left eye twitched with annoyance.

"There is… some sort of substance on my hand," she said, taking her glove off. Atemu saw that the glove appeared wet, and stained purple, "It's blood… but… there's something else." Sceppiro walked over and looked at Sith's hand. That was definitely Esper blood staining her glove, but it was glittering with powder.

"Is that moon glow?" he asked, shocked.

"It appears to be," Sith replied, a look of pure disgust on her face, "It smells of… musk… disgusting musk." Atemu gingerly sniffed the air around Sith, and wrinkled his nose. Something didn't smell right. Sceppiro shivered, and Sith coughed.

"It's Rath's scent," Sceppiro growled, "So she WAS here." Sith twitched again, and Atemu brought her over to a basin filled with water, washing her hand off. Then he dipped her glove in, and the stain evaporated. Seth looked around the room, as the smell disappeared, and paid careful attention to the corners. The shadows flickered, but nothing moved. It was simply a torch.

"Think she's still in here?" Bakura asked, brandishing a dagger. As Atemu dried Sith's hand, she shook her head.

"Doubt it," she replied, smiling as Atemu let go of her hand, "Rath is terrible, but she's not stupid. She wouldn't stay. Sceppiro, what did the Globe say?" Sceppiro blinked, and then blushed with embarrassment. In all of the excitement, he had forgotten to check. He rushed over and turned the Globe on. A map of the entire region of Nesce appeared, with four circles hovering over the area of Mount Sabil. Seth guessed those were the islands that Sceppiro mentioned.

"The islands are still?" Sceppiro observed, confusion clear in his voice, "That means that Rath tampered with them… somehow. This is not a good sign."

"Should we get over there?" Mahaado asked, looking at the Globe with intensity. He'd never seen anything quite like it, and its luminous surface lit up the entire room, giving it a futuristic feeling. Sceppiro's eyes narrowed, though only because he had trouble deciding what to do. He looked to Sith, but she was talking to Atemu.

"No," Sceppiro replied, "Rath would expect that. Pharaoh, we should leave the kingdom. May we retreat to Egypt?" Sith looked at Sceppiro quickly, and Atemu's eyes widened. He agreed, staying wasn't safe, but would Egypt be any better? Atemu looked at Sith.

"What do you think?" he asked, hoping Sith would be able to help him decide. He had no idea what choice was right. And unfortunately, neither did Sith.

"We must run," she replied seriously, "Those islands are the core of the Nesce kingdom's weather. Once they stop moving, we won't know what could happen. Egypt… might be the best bet we have." Atemu nodded.

"Agreed. Seth, Mahaado, Karim, please lead the way," Atemu commanded, and they all ran out of the observatory as a window imploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. They ran down the stairs as another window elsewhere shattered, and Sith nearly lost her balance, grabbing onto Atemu's collar as she fell, the two of them crashing onto the floor as a stair crackled.

"What's going on!?" Bakura asked, jumping off the railing to the ground floor as Atemu ran down the rest of the stairs, carrying Sith. Her boot had caught on a shard, twisting her ankle for the time being, but as another explosion slammed the staircase, Atemu set her down, and she jumped into the air, Atemu hanging onto her arm, and they landed on the ground floor, where everyone else was waiting.

"Rath must be back," Sith replied angrily, "The stupid fool…" Not stopping to rest, she ran ahead out of the castle, Sceppiro straining to keep up. They were heading out to face Rath first, as everyone else followed later. Cydandilus was waiting for them in the courtyard, his ship revving and waiting, but Sith instructed everyone else to board without her.

"What!? Are you crazy!?" Seth asked, when she commanded them, "We're not leaving you here. The pharaoh would go insane if you didn't come back to us."

"Go," Sith said, "Now!" She shoved Seth onto the deck, and then Sceppiro dragged Atemu on, who was looking at Sith with concern and sadness. Whatever she was planning, he didn't want her to execute it. But he couldn't stop her. As he was forced on board, Cyd was already piloting the ship off of the land, heading upward as far as the mountain summits were, leaving Sith below, though the ship wasn't moving fast. Atemu leaned over the railings, calling to get Sith to come back, but she either ignored him or didn't hear a word. He turned back to Cyd.

"What are you doing!? We have to go and get her!" Atemu cried, pointing toward the snow, where Sith was kneeling, preparing for something. Sceppiro simply looked away, and Cyd simply raised an eyebrow at Atemu's protest.

"My pharaoh, Sith was clear that we leave without her," Karim said sternly as Cyd drove the ship upwards still, as magic thundered angrily on the city below. Atemu shook his head.

"And I'm making it clear that we go and get her!" Atemu retorted, equally as stern, "I am not leaving my knight there alone. She's been with me since my father was ruler. I won't…"

"Would you shut yer trap for once, boy?" Cyd growled, and Atemu fell silent, glaring at him as he worked with the wheel, "Sith's not gonna come here no matter how much you whine, so shut up and sit down." Atemu clenched his fists angrily. He wanted to scream, wanted to throw someone off of the ship for not listening to him, but they were all right. Sith said to leave, and they were only doing as she asked, though why she wanted to fight alone wasn't known to Atemu. Bakura looked down far below, and saw a glowing figure, which was Sith. He could smell that she was casting something.

"Is she going to fight whoever's throwing spells at us?" Bakura asked, as a streak of lightning nearly missed the ship's left wing. Cursing, Cyd skillfully avoided it, but in doing so, made everyone fall over from the sudden turn. When Sceppiro recovered, holding Atemu to keep him from falling off, he nodded.

"Looks that way," he replied, "My sister doesn't want us in the way. She can't protect us once she's in the sky." Everyone except Cyd looked at Sceppiro. They had no idea what he was talking about. Sith had wings, yes, but they were too small for flight. Seth especially seemed really confused.

"In the sky? What are you talking about, Esper?" Seth asked, and Sceppiro grinned.

"You'll see in about…" as Sceppiro began, something silver shot into the air, a good distance away, "Now." Everyone looked, and they could see that Sith was definitely what went into the air, her wings having grown much bigger than they should've been.

"What the hell happened!?" Bakura exclaimed, watching with a mixture of shock and complete awe, "When did she sprout her wings!?" Sceppiro walked over to the rail, looking at his sister. She had her sword slung to her back, and retrieved a spear from one of the guards, using it as skillfully as though it were her first weapon of choice. She was aiming at something as she thrust the spear into what appeared to be thin air, and then something became visible, falling directly out of the sky.

"Espers are naturally equipped to take jobs as dragoons or knights in royal courts. Why do you think she was so powerful with a sword?" Sceppiro commented, as Sith knocked down many more targets with her spear, still in the air, "Most humans don't use our services, but the legendary dragoons of earlier times… most of them were Espers. As for the wings, we don't grow them until we're in the air. We don't need them, most of the time. Only a few subspecies of Espers have naturally large wings." Seth, Bakura, and Atemu continued to watch targets fall from the sky, thanks to Sith's well-aimed thrusts. They noticed that as she took down more and more of whatever she was attacking, the magic slowly stopped raining down on the hapless capital below. However, her own silver glow was quickly dimming, and soon she was falling, though she positioned her angle in such a way that she fell directly on the ship, landing smoothly and putting her spear down only momentarily. Seth looked at her, wide-eyed, as he realized that he truly was lucky that she never did attack him for his behavior. He would've lost very, very quickly.

"Nice shot, sister," Sceppiro said, grinning, as Sith nodded, an equally proud smile on her face. Atemu sighed a heavy sigh of relief, and Bakura clapped the knight on her back. Cyd grinned as he continued steering the ship.

"Good work! I'm very proud of you, Sith," Karim exclaimed, as Sith walked over to sit down next to him, "Nothing I could've taught you would've worked better." Sith agreed, though she didn't bring that part up. Bakura and Seth came over, but Atemu simply stood back as they all talked amongst each other. He'd only ever seen Sith leap into the air once in a fight, and the effects were tremendous. He didn't think he'd see it again, and it only just hit him how powerful she truly was.

"Reconsidering your plan of keeping her in Egypt?" Sceppiro whispered, seeming to have read Atemu's thoughts. Atemu looked at him, shocked with the accusation, but nodded sadly. He didn't expect Sceppiro to be disappointed. And yet, Sceppiro was as he said, "You do realize that by deciding that, you're not only breaking both of your fathers' wishes, but you might be breaking hers as well, right?"

"I didn't know… I mean, I knew she was much stronger than any of my officers, but," Atemu kept his voice low, "I've never seen her glow like that. Why would she waste her time with my kingdom when you need her here?" Sceppiro smiled, but didn't answer Atemu's question. Sighing, Atemu went to join everyone. For once, Seth and Sith seemed to be discussing something, and it sounded grim. As soon as he saw Atemu, Seth stood up.

"My pharaoh, Sith has bad news," Seth stated, and with a nod from Sith, continued, "She defeated the creatures throwing magic at us, but…"

"But what?" Atemu asked, looking at Sith. She looked exhausted, her skin much paler than Atemu was comforted with.

"Rath was not among them," Sith finished with regret, "She… is still out there, somewhere. I'm sorry, sir. I could not protect you during the storm." Atemu's shoulders relaxed, as he heard the tone of sadness in Sith's voice. He put a hand on her shoulder, smiling as she looked up at him, bewildered. If she expected to be expelled from him, it wasn't happening then.

"You protected us in a different way, Sith," Atemu said, with Mahaado nodding with agreement, "I didn't ask you to stay by my side all of the time. Your duty was to _protect me however you can_. And, though we all have feelings on what you did, you did that rather spectacularly." Sith started to say something, but then seemed to decide it was best if she simply let it be. Besides, what Bakura said next made her feel a bit better.

"Besides, if you stayed up here, who's to say you wouldn't have been hit with those spells?" Bakura asked, grinning, "What use would a pile of smoldering, while still beautifully captivating, ashes be to the pharaoh?" Sith laughed, seemingly ignoring the obvious flirting Bakura was trying to do. He did have a point, no matter how badly it'd been portrayed. But Atemu clenched his fists again. He decided that if he was going to throw anyone off the ship, it was definitely Bakura. And judging by the glares from Sceppiro and Cyd, as they also heard the flirting being done, they'd be the ones volunteering to help Atemu dump the thief over. The whole thought appealed wildly to Atemu as Bakura began to contradict himself by listing what Atemu could've done with a pile of ashes, but when Sith asked him to stop, Atemu's thought returned. He felt unusually happy to hear Sith's disapproval with the thief.

"That is enough, Bakura," Sith said calmly, yet very sternly, "I get your point. Still, I'm curious. If Rath caused this… why isn't she with those… those things?" At that question, everyone looked at the deck, save for Cyd, who was still steering the ship as it finally ascended over the large, snowy mountain. Thankfully, the snowstorm had died down, making passage over the mountain easier, but as they flew over the mountain, over a small plains, and then over what appeared to be another mountain cliff, the sight shocked everyone, save for the three Espers. They weren't just traveling off of the continent. Nesce was _suspended over the ocean_, as though the continent itself was floating. Far to the left, Egypt's border, and the Lion's Gate, stood silent.

"Whoops! Looks like I went a little too left," Cyd commented, steering over slowly as everyone continued to look over the railing. The sight was breathtaking, especially as Cyd lowered the ship slightly. They saw that the continent didn't actually float, but a giant column of mountain supported the large continent, with several large stalactites hanging off of the bottom for more balance. The gate's tunnel slanted outwardly, explaining why there were so many stairs inside the Lion's Gate. Sceppiro sighed.

"This is the first time I've ever left Aeroglyph," he stated calmly, as they slowly drifted away from the large, suspended continent, "Sith… what is Egypt like?" Atemu turned his head toward his knight, whose one word response ignited a roar of laughter from the priests and Bakura.

"Hot," she said simply, "Hot, and dry. Oh, and dangerous. Aside from dying of dehydration from the total lack of water, you could also starve to death, get poisoned, get mugged, get kidnapped, be murdered, beaten, and if you're truly unlucky, an animal could eat you. Aside from that, it's nice." Sceppiro and Atemu looked at each other, wide-eyed. Atemu couldn't believe that Sith would describe _his kingdom_ like that, and Sceppiro was ready to pee his pants, despite his ability with a sword. Seth and Bakura couldn't help but snicker at first, and then just outright started laughing as Sith listed the many ways they could die in the desert, which she referred to as "the middle of nowhere."

"Sith!" Atemu cried in desperation when Sith began talking about priests messing up a spell, and how a guard swelled until he literally burst, sending guts, organs, and blood spewing everywhere, "That is disgusting! I've never heard of such an incident!" Sith raised a bemused eyebrow, and Sceppiro actually threw up over the side of the ship, much more sensitive than his sister thought.

"Well, it happened. Why don't you try asking one of your high priests?" Sith suggested, almost amused. She became even more smug when both Karim and Mahaado looked very, very freaked out. Atemu tilted his head suspiciously.

"Did it actually happen?" he asked calmly, and sheepishly, Karim slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, about seven years ago, sir," Karim replied, "I-it was… well, Mahaado was nervous and…"

"Excuse me!? _I_ was nervous!? _YOU_ were the one shaking in your robes that morning!" Mahaado yelled defensively, crossing his arms, "How dare you place the blame on me!" Karim's eyes widened.

"It was _your_ spell!" Karim yelled back, equally as defending, "It just happened to bounce off of _my_ shield spell!" Mahaado and Karim glared at each other, and Seth grinned maliciously, remembering how they had attacked each other in the hall for trying harder to get away from Seth. Sith's eyebrow was still raised with amusement as the two priests continued to bicker. Meanwhile, Atemu stared at them, his expression one of both exasperation and the need to throttle something for their behavior.

"The point is that something terrible happened, so it's both of your faults," Seth concluded instantly, grinning as he added, "And I'm glad I had nothing to do with it."

"_IT WAS HIS FAULT!_" Mahaado and Karim both yelled, pointing at the other, "_HE_-"

"_Enough!_" Sith said sharply, brandishing her sword, "Sir, I think you have your answer. It did happen, and if another one of you tries to blame it on someone, I'll cut all three of your tongues out and serve them to you for dinner." Bakura simply smiled approvingly as the effect she put on the priests were instantaneous. Mahaado and Karim immediately silenced themselves, and Seth just became furious.

"Why threaten me!?" he asked, his shoulders tight with sudden rage, "I didn't do anything!"

"You riled them up even more, you stupid git," Sith retorted crossly, "Now sit down and shut that mouth." She turned her back to talk to Atemu once more, and Seth sulked onto the floor, making sure to be as loud as possible. Once again, she was allowed to assert her authority on him, and he now remembered why he hated her.

"I don't want to go to Egypt anymore," Sceppiro said childishly, as he had once more thrown up over the side of the ship, "Uncle Cyd, turn back." Bakura snorted, and Sith rolled her eyes. Seth ignored the flustered Esper outright, and Cyd raised an eyebrow as he took his goggles off.

"Are you crazy, boy!? We're nearly there! I ain't turning back to that stinkin' hellhole!" Cyd said forcefully, and Sith saw Sceppiro's face turn green with sickness, "Oh, grow up, Sceppiro! You're not seven!" Sith simply patted her brother's back as he threw up again, the image of a guard exploding for no reason still strong in his mind.

"I sort of forgot, his stomach isn't nearly as strong as mine," Sith commented, as Sceppiro threw up, "Sorry, sir." Atemu smiled weakly, though he was just trying hard not to laugh. It was almost comedic, this once-feared enemy of his was becoming sick simply from one thought.

"It's all right, Sith. Anything you need to do, just do it," Atemu replied calmly, as Sceppiro moaned.

"_I WANT TO GO HOME!_"

"Sceppiro, shut up!" Sith screamed angrily, pulling her brother from over the side, "Get a damn grip on yourself! You are the _king of our homeland!_ Start acting your age, and stop this whining now!" Sceppiro stared at Sith, hardly able to believe his own sister would be scolding him. Maybe he was foolish, but what she said… made him feel even smaller than he already felt. Seth was sure Sith would get her just desserts, but once again, his wish was denied.

"Sorry, sister," Sceppiro said, dusting his coat off, "I suppose… I let my fear get in the way. Are we almost there?" Sith looked at Sceppiro suspiciously, wondering if this was just another charade of his. Cyd seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"We're making a land soon," Cyd replied bluntly, "You feeling better, boy?"

"Yes…" Sceppiro's voice trailed off, as something was sounding off back toward Nesce. He looked over the edge, as did Sith, Bakura, and Atemu. Seth turned his head, but in his refusal to move, he couldn't see anything. But something was wrong. Everyone was quiet, and only Cyd's cursing broke that silence.

"_SHIT!_" Cyd yelled, steering the ship to dive closer, "Something's coming after us!"

"Is it Rath!?" Karim asked, getting up and running over. Sith was straining to see, but had no idea what was coming.

"I can't see anything," she replied, "But there is something following us. Everyone, weapons out! Now!" Following her orders, Mahaado and Karim drew their staves as Bakura took out two knives. Atemu and Sceppiro took their swords, and Seth drew the Millennium Rod quickly. Sith finally drew her own sword, its blade glowering an angry purple, and only Cyd remained in his current duty, as someone had to steer the ship. Whatever was coming was finally taking shape, dark, black, hooded shapes that brought an ugly, inky purple to the sky as they flew.

"What are those things!?" Atemu asked, as the creatures flew closer and closer. Sith was holding her sword close to her cheek in a defensive stance, her eyes a flashing combination of green, then turning to red every few seconds.

"Dark Espers," Sith replied angrily, "Mystics, as they're sometimes known."

"And look who's in front," Sceppiro added grimly, pointing. Seth strained to see, and saw a beautiful woman in a large cloak. Her skin was silver, her eyes a blazing orange, much like Cyd's. Her hair was even whiter than Bakura's, set into long spikes above her head. Her lips were a blood-curdling red, and her expression was wicked.

"Rath!" Sith and Atemu both concluded together, and Sith added, "So, she finally decided to reveal herself."

"Is it safe to fight up here?" Mahaado asked, as the Dark Espers drew nearer. Sith looked around frantically. It really wasn't, but they had no choice. Rath was pursuing them. They had to defend, or they would die.

"It's safer than the alternative," Sith said grimly, "Prepare yourselves for the worst! Rath is the most ruthless being in Nesce." Everyone nodded, getting their weapons ready. Cyd pressed something, and cannons seemed to appear on the ship, in random points, but all aimed at Rath's group as they advanced ever closer. Sith reverted to an attacking stance. In one last rallying cry, she roared over the wind.

"_IF WE DIE TONIGHT, THEN LET'S GIVE RATH A TASTE OF HELL!_"

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

As it turns out, Sceppiro is still a trustworthy ally, at least for now. But, now as they escape to Egypt, Rath finally appears, showering our heroes with whatever she can throw at them. But what are her motives, and why is she attacking both Nesce and Egypt? Can everyone handle her as Cyd makes his way to the palace? Will reinforcements come to aid their pharaoh in what could be a very terrible battle? And can Shaddah and Isis get to the front before Akunadan gives them the Pharaoh's Wrath? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	11. Splitting up for a New Cause

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Maybe if I made up the idea 3000 years ago, I would, but since I didn't, the credit goes to Takahashi. Lucky dog.

Akunadin ran down the stairs into the dungeons as quickly as he could. He was ashamed… no, outraged, that two priests would dare to act so childishly in the pharaoh's domain. He would have them punished, or fired, or dismissed, or whatever he felt was suitable for their disgusting behavior, but he would make sure something happened. He stomped when he reached the dungeon floor, and looked around the room. Nothing stirred.

"If anyone is down here, they die!" Akunadin roared, advancing forward. He passed the cell that Shaddah and Isis hid in, and didn't even notice them as they huddled in the shadow of the cell.

"What do we do!?" Isis hissed lowly when Akunadin passed them, "We're trapped unless you have a plan." Shaddah bit his lip and looked out at where Akunadin had entered. There were no guards with him, so the stairs were unguarded. Maybe, just maybe, if they were fast enough, they could slip away with him being none the wiser.

"I have a plan," Shaddah assured her, "Not a good one, but it might work. We run like hell up those stairs before he sees us." Isis looked at him with annoyance.

"Do you have a plan B?" she asked sarcastically, and Shaddah shook his head as Akunadin stopped at the end of the hall. He must've heard them, for he looked back. The two priests shrank away as much as they could, and when Akunadin shrugged and looked in a cell farther back, Shaddah grabbed Isis's wrists and pulled her along. They went up the stairs as quietly as possible, and soon found the warmth of the upper hallway.

"Yes! We actually made it!" Isis sang happily, "Shaddah, I'm sorry I screamed."

"It's okay, but we still have to figure out how to get rid of Akunadin," Shaddah reminded her, and a voice from behind them froze them in place.

"And why would you want to do that?" Akunadin said, walking up the steps, "You two are in a lot of trouble. Now, I could dismiss you, but your acts have displayed…!?" As he spoke, Akunadin screamed as a young boy with blonde hair swung from a chandelier and slammed into the man, knocking him right back down the stairs and into the dungeon. Then the boy slammed the door, locking it tight.

"No one dismisses my sister!" he yelled proudly, and Isis's eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

"M-Malik?" she asked, "What are you doing here?" The boy turned around, grinning.

"I'm here to help you," he replied, "You need to get out of the palace, right?" When both Shaddah and Isis nodded, Malik led them out of the kitchen and into the main hallway, saying, "Well, then you'll need to follow me. I'll get you two out." And so, the three of them walked out of the hall, through the entrance, and into the courtyard. Everything was in chaos because of Akunadin's outbursts, but no one paid attention to Malik, or to the priests following him as they went to the stables.

---

As Sith's rallying cry ended, the group of Dark Espers stopped their approach, and hovered in the air. Some of them, Sceppiro noticed, were sad, others unwilling to fight, but not one of them seemed to be happy, save for Rath, who was in lead. Her eyes gleamed when she looked upon her foes, and Seth knew immediately that he didn't like her.

"So, this is the mighty group that Egypt is offering to the slaughterhouse?" she asked coldly, though her eyes stopped on Bakura, "My, how sad. Only one of you looks particularly worthy of my time tonight." Bakura tensed up, not trusting Rath's gaze.

"Rath, why are you doing this!?" Sceppiro demanded angrily, "Have you forgotten your punishment, you cur?" Rath looked at her cousin angrily, but her anger returned to a cold mock as her smile broadened. He held his sword in case he needed to strike.

"I have not," she replied, "And yet, I see fit that, as the eldest in the family now, I should be on the throne. Which means that, unfortunately, I must eliminate the three of you to get there. Just like I did your father, your chancellor, and your sorry excuse for a mother." Sceppiro gasped, and Sith lost it as she let out a blood-curdling roar.

"_TRAITOR! MONSTER! DESTROYER OF OUR GLORY!_" Sith screamed, standing on the ship's rails, "_I WILL KILL YOU FOR OUR MOTHER'S DEATH!_" Atemu was afraid Sith would jump off, attempting to overtake her cousin in the air, but she didn't move from the railing. He placed a hand on her shoulder and realized that she was shaking in utter outrage. Rath's smile didn't fade.

"Ah, my young cousin," she said in mock warmth, "I've waited for seven long years for you to get back from Egypt. So much like your mother, to wander off and find a lover of a different race, isn't it?" Sith's eyes widened as Atemu and Bakura looked at each other with confusion, and then she let out a loud, rumbling growl.

"It is none of your business!" Sith yelled, "My mother was a good woman! Our father prided himself on reminding us where we came from! She was thrice the Esper you will _ever_ be!" A loud crackle of thunder shot from Rath's hand and slammed into Sith, sending her sprawling across the deck. Atemu ran to help her, and Bakura gave Rath a dangerous glare, wishing in his mind that he could kill her right there.

"You should talk, my lesser, _weaker_, young cousin," Rath spat, "You are a disgrace to us! You, who sided with that rat of a pharaoh, who abandoned Nesce for the sniveling priests of Egypt! You, who would rather spend your days babysitting vermin instead of fulfilling your duty as a servant to the ruler of Nesce! And you call _me_ a weakling?"

"At least she has a heart!" Mahaado shot, and Rath aimed a glare at him, "Sith is the finest warrior in our midst. You're just a reject and an outlaw." Another flash of thunder sent Mahaado flying across the deck, to slam into the cabin door.

"Silence, all of you!" Rath yelled, and snapped her fingers. Darkness began to consume the rest of the daylight, and the winds became harsh and biting. Snow began to fall as Rath said, "This is the beginning of a new era." With Atemu's help, Sith stood up, shaking violently, though whether it was from anger or weakness, Atemu wouldn't know.

"Rath, stop this madness this instant!" Sith exclaimed, "As the daughter of Claude, of Kiseena Monteque, and sister of Sceppiro, I command it at once!" Rath laughed, as though the command amused her and came from a child. She aimed a fireball at Sith, and it hit the girl straight in the chest, sending her flying and slamming into a wall. Atemu let out a harsh scream, and Sceppiro roared with pain.

"Sith!" Atemu cried, and with Bakura, ran to try and get her, but she was unconscious. Sceppiro looked from his sister's frail body to Rath, anger seething in him.

"Rath, you have murdered our entire family and now you dare to attack my sister?" Sceppiro asked, and his Dark Sword glowed a deep, dark blue, "You have sealed your fate! Meteor!" Seth felt the entire world, sky, cloud, and water included, shake from that one word. Four giant meteors appeared from space, and aimed themselves at Rath. She evaded one, which slammed into the ocean, only to be absorbed by the sand of Egypt, and two more missed entirely, nearly taking her ranks of soldiers out. The fourth hit her, however, and she fell quite a ways down.

"Nice shot!" Seth exclaimed happily, but soon his happiness was crushed as Rath reappeared, her hair wildly billowing around her silver face.

"Nice shot indeed," she said, "But leave the game to the big Espers." She closed her eyes, and an even more powerful force was being summoned. Karim, Atemu, and Bakura tried fiercely to open the cabin to put Mahaado and Sith to safety, but it did no good. The clouds rumbled, the ground below trembled, even the very sea seemed to quiver with fear as Rath's body began to glow with a darkness so intense, that not even the tiny rays of light from the now-darkened sun could pierce it.

"W-what's happening!?" Seth asked Sceppiro, as Cyd cursed, "It feels like the very life of the world is being sucked away!" The only answer Seth received was a terrified stare from the Esper king as Rath smiled angrily and unleashed the one spell that could only make the world tremble in fear: Ultima. Invisible forces slammed the ship, destroying the windows and splintering the wood as it felt like invisible hammers pounded at the metal, rendering the cannons completely useless. Seth tried to scream, but the sheer noise of the forces drowned out everything. He could barely hear Rath laughing, and he barely saw Atemu throw himself over Sith to protect her as shafts of destructive light rendered the rest of the ship, which began to fall to its doom, as the engine failed. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.

And yet, death never struck. Seth woke up hours later, but didn't open his eyes. His body was sore, and his head throbbed with pain, but he was aware that he was alive. Slowly, very slowly, he lifted himself up off of the ground and felt warm sand in his hands. His eyes shot open, and he realized he was back in the desert. Scrambling to his feet, he looked around. Everyone else was scattered around. They were alive, but they were unconscious. Or so most of them looked. Atemu stirred, and then sat up, spitting sand out.

"Are you all right, my pharaoh?" Seth asked, for once letting the worry edge through his voice. Atemu nodded weakly, and then looked at Sith, who had been right next to him. He smiled when he saw she was fine.

"Shaken, but unharmed," Atemu replied, looking around, "And the others?"

"I haven't checked yet, but I'm going to guess that they're unconscious like Sith is," Seth stated, and then walked over to Mahaado. He bent down and examined the man, and then moved onto Karim. When he reached Sceppiro and Cyd, he said, "Everyone appears to be fine, but I can't seem to find Bakura." Atemu blinked. He hated Bakura, despised him for the way he acted with Sith, but his disappearance worried Atemu.

"Are you quite sure?" Atemu asked. Seth shrugged, and looked around again, even going so far as to check the surrounding rocks to see if the thief might've been hiding among them, and yet he wasn't there.

"Quite certain, my king," Seth replied, and he too sounded concerned, "What do you think happened to him? Think he fled?" Atemu looked down. It was possible, but Bakura wouldn't leave if he thought Sith needed him. That thought caused Atemu to clench his teeth jealously.

"I doubt he would," Atemu managed to say, "He wouldn't leave if Sith needed him. And unfortunately, she does. He's proven to be a trustworthy ally in this, no matter how much we hate each other." Seth silently agreed. They sat, neither one knowing what to do next. They didn't feel strong enough to explore the area, but they were wasting time sitting down. Rath was still out there.

"Should we continue to the palace?" Seth asked, but Atemu shook his head.

"We're not strong enough to carry five other people with us," Atemu replied seriously, "And we should look for Bakura. I have a feeling something is very wrong. He's our enemy, but he wouldn't let someone like Rath kill us. He'd rather do that himself. So, where is he?" Neither of them noticed as Sith sat up, rubbing her eyes and getting the sand out of her ears. Her wings flapped unhappily, accidentally shooting dust at Atemu.

"Where is whom?" Sith asked, crawling over and sitting next to Atemu. He glanced at her, and looked down.

"Bakura is gone," he replied in a monotonous tone, "And we have no idea where he could've gotten to." Sith gave Atemu an odd stare.

"You seem almost relieved that he's gone," she accused, and when he didn't object, she frowned, "Atemu, we need his help."

"No we don't," Atemu said flatly, "We don't need his sarcasm, we don't need his wit, and we don't need him making advances on you. We don't need him at all." Sith's eyes widened and she backed away. Atemu had become more enraged as he spoke, and it scared her a bit. She had never heard him so angry… or jealous.

"Atemu, are you… jealous?" she whispered. Atemu's anger vanished, replacing his expression with shame. She didn't press further. She had her answer immediately. Sceppiro and Cyd slowly woke up after that, and with a few moment of discussion with Seth, whereas Atemu and Sith continued to look at each other with a mix of sympathy and disapproval from one and shame and sadness from another, decided that it may have been best to leave. Cyd picked Karim up and slung the man over his shoulder.

"Get up, boy. Now's not a time to get mopey on us," he said sternly to Atemu, and Sith smiled weakly. Atemu nodded, and slowly got up with Sith's help. Sceppiro picked Mahaado up, and gathering what little supplies survived, Seth brought up the rear.

"So, Bakura is missing?" Sceppiro asked, and when Sith nodded, he also asked, "When was the last time we saw him?"

"Probably back right before Ultima struck," Seth replied, "But after that, all of us fell unconscious. Do you think it ripped him to shreds?" Sith glanced back, and shook her head.

"No. Ultima can't do that," she explained quickly, "At least, not to humans. If he did indeed die, he would have fallen with us. He wouldn't have vanished." Everyone became silent again. That didn't help to explain what _had_ happened to Bakura, and as they ventured deeper through the desert, it became acutely aware that Bakura might not even be in Egypt anymore. Sceppiro finally decided to pipe one more suggestion.

"Do you think… Rath took him?" Sceppiro asked, and Sith stopped as the thought hit her. That was the only logical explanation, as she knew Bakura wouldn't run away from them. Tears filled her eyes.

"She better not have," Sith growled, "Bakura… is in a lot of danger if she did." Atemu raised an eyebrow.

"She won't torture him, will she?" he asked. Sith shook her head, but she was too upset to answer. Sceppiro provided an explanation instead.

"No, but she had a seductive look to her when her eyes fell on him," Sceppiro explained, "She… there's no telling what she'd do to him, but if he's strong, he'll remain steadfast in helping my sister out. As much as I hate his guts for flirting with my little sister, he does genuinely appear to want to help her, and he does care." Cyd nodded, and pounded his chest with one gloved hand.

"I say we find the little rodent!" Cyd boomed, "An' don't worry, Sithy. If he tries any more crap with you, I'll pound his face flat. I'll make him think twice about trying to win you over." Sith blinked, and then laughed. Both Atemu and Sceppiro frowned, not understanding what was so funny. When she stopped, she hugged Cyd.

"Thank you, uncle, but I can protect myself," Sith stated firmly, but kindly, "I have already made it clear to him that he has no chance. Not unless he learns better manners." Atemu snorted, and felt a triumphant sensation inwardly as he grinned. Bakura would never learn manners. Sith seemed to ignore this as she said, "If he is with Rath, the best thing to do would be to hide, plan a counterattack, and then execute it."

"But how do we know how far away the palace is?" Sceppiro asked as they began to walk through the sand, "We could be anywhere, Sith." Sith sighed, realizing her brother had a point. They were lost, and with Mahaado unconscious, there was no actual way to figure out where they were, either. And without Cyd's ship, they had to travel by foot as well. The situation seemed so hopeless to her, and she hung her head.

"I… really wish Bakura were here right now," she said sadly, and Atemu looked at her sharply, "He'd encourage us to keep going even if we were in an arctic wasteland. It feels so… empty without him here." Atemu's lips tightened and he actually agreed. Bakura did have an optimistic, if slightly deranged, outlook on adventure.

"I admit, he had good spirit," Sceppiro commented, "If anything, he was good at keeping us going." After that statement, silence fell upon the group. Once Sith's wings got hold of a small wind, she knew where they had to go, and at the same time, she kept her eyes opened for any sign of the thief. But eventually, she had to focus on their course, and gave in to the knowledge that Bakura was truly not coming back. A pang of guilt and sadness hit Atemu when he saw how upset she was.

"I should apologize to her," Atemu whispered to Seth when they passed a small sand pit. Seth raised an eyebrow and looked down at the pharaoh.

"Why?" he asked, "If it's a battle between you and him, shouldn't you be playing for keeps? Or do you enjoy confusing the hell out of everyone?" Atemu blinked, blushing. He had no idea his fondness for his knight was that obvious, and then he realized that he wasn't good at hiding much of anything, and his blush worsened. Seth snorted.

"She's so upset, though. And I'm not helping by getting jealous," Atemu admitted, "I might be a king, but I can't… tell her what to do. I can't tell her to not care about Bakura, and even I'm worried about him. I have to say something." Seth rolled his eyes as they continued on, Sith sniffing the air to determine the currents. She spoke to Sceppiro about something, and he grimly agreed as Seth peered at Atemu.

"Then say something to her and stop bothering us with it," Seth snapped, and then changed his tone when Atemu glared, "Look, if you want to help her, then help her, but why bother me with it? I'm not the one in love with her, so I have no idea what you should do." Atemu's frown deepened, thinking maybe it was a bad idea to talk to Seth. Gathering his courage, he walked up to Sith and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled, but then noticed the pained look on Atemu's face.

"Are you all right, sir?" she asked, and Atemu nodded.

"Sith, I just want to apologize if I'm making this any harder on you," Atemu said quickly, and before she could protest, he continued, "Bakura's your friend, and he's an ally now. It's no use telling you to leave him behind, and it's wrong to tell you to not care at all. And…"

"Enough," Sith finally said, and Atemu fell silent, "You need not apologize. Jealousy cripples a man. I know this, and I know you're jealous. And it's all right. You have a right to be. He's making it known he intends to fight for me, and while it's flattering, I doubt he'll win. But…" Atemu glanced around, realizing that no one else could hear them, "…try not to do anything you would regret." Atemu nodded, and then they continued on. Sith walked ahead to talk with Cyd, and Sceppiro was trying to wake Mahaado up, who was stirring lightly over his shoulder. Atemu hung back as Seth came up.

"How'd it go?" Seth asked. Atemu remained silent. He didn't want to answer Seth. He didn't even want Seth to know anymore, but he knew that was too late. He walked ahead, and Seth perked an eyebrow, wondering what had transpired between the pharaoh and his knight.

Hours later, the sun began to set, casting a hazy orange over the entire desert. There was still no sign of Bakura, and the city didn't appear to be coming anywhere soon. Sceppiro's wings drooped, and Cyd grumbled miserably. Sith no longer seemed able to pick up any scent from the air, and finally, Seth stopped and threw his pack off.

"This is getting ridiculous!" he exclaimed angrily, "Knight Sith, do you even know where we're heading!?" Sith stopped walking and looked back, a guilty expression on her as she shook her head.

"Yes. We should be at Kul Elna soon," she replied, and everyone gasped. Seth glared angrily at her, and Atemu stared with terrified eyes. Mahaado looked slightly concerned for her sanity, and Karim frowned with disapproval. Neither Sceppiro nor Cyd knew what was wrong, though.

"Sith… why are we heading to Kul Elna?" Atemu asked gently, "Bakura's not there." He wasn't angry, but he was worried for her. But she shook her head, and he knew Bakura wasn't a reason.

"We need Diabound in order to find him," Sith replied calmly, "And in order to get Diabound, we need his tablet. I'm… almost certain that Bakura keeps it in the ruins. Please, sir, we need to do this. At the very least, Diabound can help fend Rath off." Atemu bit his lip. He didn't want to head to the ruins of the thief village, but Sith sounded so desperate. He couldn't ignore her request. And she had a good point. Diabound itself wasn't unreasonable. It would help if Bakura was truly in danger.

"Yes. We'll head there," Atemu finally agreed, "But Sith… how do you plan to get Diabound when it's bound to Bakura?" Sith smiled and showed Atemu a small bangle on her arm. It glowed faintly.

"Bakura made a point of letting me know that if I needed Diabound, I could use him," Sith replied shyly, "All I need is a transfer sphere, and my bangle has one." Atemu couldn't help but glower. Bakura once again made his blood boil, but he controlled it. Seth, however, wasn't keen on keeping his temper down. He pointed accusingly at Sith.

"You're going to dare to tell _us_ to head to that rat's hiding hole?" Seth asked, "What the hell is wrong with your mind, knight!? Has Bakura tampered with you so badly that you no longer think!? Or are you truly blinded by his lies of helping you?" Sith turned to Seth, anger seething in her eyes. Atemu placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, knowing full well that Seth went too far again. Sith's cheeks reddened.

"Just what do you accuse me of, Seth?" she asked, calmly, but dangerously so. Atemu felt her wings shake violently.

"I accuse you of letting your feelings ruin your judgment," Seth said, smiling mockingly, "I understood your concern for our pharaoh, but for Bakura? Just how many people run your heart, knight? Are you truly that… disgusting?" Sith's eyes widened and she felt tears fall. Likewise, she felt Atemu leave her side, but what she saw next made her nearly scream in shock. Atemu flew up and slammed his fist into Seth's face, sending the priest flying backwards into the sand. Sith's cheeks burned with a mixture of self-hatred, anger, regret, and confusion.

"Do not… ever accuse Sith… like that again," Atemu said sternly, his feelings going beyond anger, "It's obvious that you don't know what feelings truly are. Sith is torn three different ways right now. Nesce and Egypt both need her. I need her. Her family needs her. Bakura needs her. She doesn't know who to care for first." Seth stood up, wiping blood away from his face. He saw Atemu breathing heavily.

"My king, she's suggesting we go into the same area Zork was summoned into," Seth reminded him, but Atemu's expression didn't change, "What use is Diabound to us? We'll find Bakura when we kill Rath, anyway. What is her point?" Atemu opened his mouth to say something, but when Sith stepped forward, he stopped. She gripped her sword.

"Then I will go into Kul Elna alone," Sith said firmly, looking down, "But I will go nonetheless. I… must know if Bakura can hold out. He is… a pest, but even he needs my protection. I can't fail my duty to protect people just because… because he has feelings for me. Or because of what he is. Or because of what _you_ say." She looked at Seth, and he was shocked at her words, but she pressed on, "It's true. I love him, too, but there's more than one way to love, Seth. Some loves make your heart stop, others make you want to kill yourself. Some even bring you the very best memory you have." She glanced at Atemu as she spoke, and his face was streaked with crimson as she continued, "Regardless of the love he has for me, I love him like a close friend. For that reason alone, I need to know if I can get to him. If you feel differently, then I'll go alone, but I won't let your opinion of him… stop me." Then she fell silent. Mahaado and Karim remained completely speechless, as did everyone else. Atemu walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder again.

"Good luck, Sith," he said, "I'll pray that you make it safe." Sith nodded, and smiled.

"Thank you, sir," she replied, "I'll return to the palace once I have what I need. I'll pray to Bahamut that you arrive safely as well." The two nodded, and then Atemu left her side, walking over to Cyd, who waved to Sith encouragingly.

"Good luck, sister," Sceppiro said, clapping Sith on the back, "I'll see if I can get something in the palace to help us scry for him." Sith nodded, and after everyone said their farewells, she was off alone again. Atemu watched her go until she vanished from view, and he couldn't help but worry for her. But for now, he had to get everyone back to the palace and plan a counterattack on Rath. She'd be arriving soon, he had no doubts of that, and without Sith with him, he had to plan properly and quickly.

"Let's go," he said sternly, leading everyone again, "We can't waste any more time. Sith is counting on us all to prepare while she's gone." With that, they continued down the path toward the palace, where the walls of the city were just barely coming into view.

"With any luck, Rath will not strike soon."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, once again, the group splits off to find more resources for battle. But how is Bakura faring, and can Sith contact him? Has Rath already planned an attack on the hapless kingdom of Egypt? Can Atemu fully protect his kingdom from an Esper onslaught? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	12. Briefings and Preparations

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he'll never convince me that Atemu isn't wearing a dress.

Racing through the desert with nothing more than her sword at her hip, Knight Sith was determined to make it toward the ruined city of Kul Elna as soon as her body would let her. Her heart pounded like clockwork, and each beat felt like an eternity to her. Her mind constantly wandered to Bakura's fate, and if he was even still alive at that moment. She had no answer, nor did she know how to get one quickly enough to put her at ease. All she knew was that she needed Diabound to find the thief. But she was tiring quickly, and without a companion by her side, it wasn't safe to simply rest.

"Confound this desert," she finally forced herself to stop, leaning on her sword. She had been traveling along for only an hour at the most, but it felt so much longer as she said, "By the gods, I pray that I'm close to Kul Elna." And yet, she couldn't feel any magic, positive or negative, anywhere close by. She began to regret leaving Atemu and the others, but she felt she had no choice. Seth was unwilling to go to the ruins to save an ally. No, a _friend_. Whether anyone else would admit it, Bakura was their friend, at least for now. Despairing again on his fate, Sith forced herself up, and walked forward. No longer having the strength to run, she had to do with a walk.

"This desert is endless," Sith said to herself, frowning, "And Rath somehow disabled my senses. I can't even begin to tell where in Egypt I am…" Sith continued wandering, looking closely for anything that could alert her to the village. She doubted she could miss it, but she had never actually been there before, and had no idea what to look for. For all she knew, Bakura could've been living among pebbles. Finally, though, she felt a terrible rift of dark energy, and stopped again. There were more than two traces. One felt familiar, and it was a low pulse. That was the one she wanted, she knew, as it felt almost exactly as Bakura's energy felt. But the other two were much different. One was more fear than power, but she knew it wasn't hers. The other, she knew to be Rath's. But what was the unknown one?

"Am I near?" she asked, and realized she had stepped into a deep fog, obscuring her view or masking it to simply look darker than it should've been, "…hello?" Closing her eyes, she cast a spell that evaporated the mist, and when she looked on, the sight was almost as breathtaking for her as Nesce had been for Atemu. Nothing whole was in sight, but many buildings had been crumbled to amazing pieces of what Sith thought of as art. Taller buildings had been worn into spires that poked into the dark sky, and some smaller huts had a wall torn to resemble mushrooms. Magic seeped through everything, coloring the walls such brilliant hues of purple and green, Sith no longer thought she was even in Egypt. But Bakura's energy was everywhere, and it comforted her.

"Bakura?" she called, but received no answer. Looking down sadly, she continued forward, sword drawn. Though she hadn't been here before, she knew fully of the incident of the undead, for she had been forced to revive many of the priests before they were harnessed for evil. Stopping again, hey eyes gravely swept the abandoned city. She didn't know which house belonged to Bakura, or where Diabound's tablet would be held, and her thought was interrupted by a rustle. Quickly, she turned around and called, "What!?"

Nothing stirred. Sith's shoulder tensed up as she took another step, but another rustle stopped her again. This time, she caught movement. Something much bigger than she was in the overgrown grass that managed to grow, and silently preparing her sword, she lunged at the grass, hacking it to bits. But nothing was hiding. Frustrated, she sighed, until something grabbed her neck, causing her to yelp. A slap on her face silenced her, and she hung her head in dizziness. She couldn't see as well, as the blow struck her eyes. But she heard voices.

"Look at this, boys! We got ourselves the Pharaoh's Knight!" boomed her captive, a large, brutish man in a dirty tunic that smelled strongly of alcohol. Sith barely moved as he held her up to look into his red, drunken eyes. She was forced to smell his putrid breath as he asked, "What's the pharaoh's slave doing here?"

"Let me go or you will die," Sith growled, growing stiff. The man raised an amused eyebrow, and he laughed, as many more laughed with him. Then he threw her on the ground, and she slowly got up, getting quickly disoriented. She couldn't find her sword.

"I'd love to see you kill me, but it's not happening, cutie pie," the man bellowed, and when Sith went to protest, another man kicked her in the stomach, knocking her across the sand. It was all she could do to stay awake as she listened to them advance.

"What do we do with her, boss?" one man asked, "We could get a pretty penny for her." Sith had to control the urge to attack, for without her sword, she stood very little chance of winning.

"Ransom's no good. Besides, she's probably been exiled. Why else is she here?" another man suggested. There was a moment of hesitance among them, which Sith prayed would continue for some time. But it didn't, and the leader snapped his fingers.

"I have a better idea. Let's keep her," the leader said, grinning, "I have a few uses for her. I say we get to introduce ourselves to her. What do you all think?" Cheers and roars of laughter erupted, and Sith had to strongly resist the urge to retch. She could barely believe this was happening, and it was all she could do not to scream. But she had to keep quiet. And she had to find her sword. But she could hear the leader, and he grabbed her hair, pulling her towards him. This time, she let out a terrible cry, but it only resulted in laughs of delight. Until one man screamed in agony and fell down, dead. The leader dropped Sith, and turned around as many more screams filled the air.

"You realize I've made it clear that _no one_ is to trespass into my home, haven't you?" came a voice, and Sith recognized it to be Bakura's. She scrambled up, feeling incredibly weak, but still able to walk. The leader ignored her, frantically looking to where the voice had come from as his underlings died one by one as their bodies were cut to pieces from an unknown force.

"W-what!? Who are you!?" the leader cried, "Where are you!?" Bakura's voice simply laughed, and soon the leader began to scream in more pain than Sith could've ever imagined. She watched as his limbs fell from his body, and then his head was sliced off, and blood spilled in the sand. But it didn't touch her, and as she looked on, she saw Bakura standing there, looking at the dismembered bodies with not a smile, but a frown. He didn't want to kill them.

"Bakura!" Sith called, running over, "Bakura!" Bakura looked over at her, and smiled weakly. She couldn't control her relief, and ran to hug him tightly, glad to see he was fine. But as she reached him, he vanished into the sand, and she fell to her knees in pure shock. Bakura was gone, only an illusion. But how did he help her? How was he able to stop those thieves? She had no answers, but she didn't care. He had saved her life three times now.

"Bakura… I promise, I will find you," she said, standing up again. But as she looked on at the ruins as the bodies began to disintegrate, she realized with controlled fear that she was in a place seething with dark energy. And she was alone.

---

Atemu stopped in his tacks, clutching his chest. He had a shock of terrible, excruciating pain and terror coursing through his body, making him want to strike himself down, but it vanished within the moment. Cyd stopped and looked back with worry.

"You all right, boy?" he asked, a slight tone of concern in his voice. Atemu looked up and nodded, but his skin had paled and it was clear something had happened. Cyd looked at him skeptically and said, "Tell me the truth."

"I think… Sith is… was in danger," Atemu strained, and Sceppiro ran to him, helping him. He looked down at the ground, cursing himself for allowing her to leave alone once again.

"My sister!? What happened? What's wrong?" Sceppiro asked frantically as they continued, "Atemu, tell me!" Atemu glanced over, unable to provide anything other than the fact that he felt her energy respond to danger. Cyd sighed, and gestured for Sceppiro to let Atemu go. Sceppiro obeyed, but looked down angrily, still not knowing what was wrong with Sith.

"He can't tell you, Sceppiro," Cyd replied when the king posed the question, "He ain't no mindreader. All he knows is Sithy's hurt. You still feelin' the pain, boy?" He directed the last part to Atemu, who shook his head, still shivering as he recalled the horror he did feel.

"No… but she's sad," Atemu replied, as he began to receive more of her feelings, "Wait… sad… and angry… she wants me to know something, but I can't understand her feelings. She's really mixed up." Sceppiro bit his lip, and then closed his eyes, asking Sith to relay what had happened to him rather than to Atemu. She did so, and Sceppiro opened his eyes, tears welling up. The pictures she had given him were… traumatizing to him. To think it happened to her was too much.

"She was attacked by men," Sceppiro said shakily, and Atemu gasped, "They… they almost… she's sure they would've… raped her if Bakura hadn't shown up." Atemu's eyes widened. Bakura had come back! And, to both his relief and dismay, the thief had helped Sith again.

"Bakura's alive!?" Karim asked, shocked, "Is he with her!?"

"No…" Sceppiro replied sadly, "He vanished when she went near him… she thinks it's an illusion, but he saved her somehow. She's sad because she's alone, and she's terrified for the moment." Atemu closed his eyes and looked away. He wanted to hate himself for letting her leave alone, but it was her choice as well. And yet that did little to dispel his anger at himself. Sith was hurt, and alone in the ruins of an unsafe village, and there was nothing he could do. He could look for her, but it'd take days without a proper guide. Sighing, he looked down.

"Does she want me to find her?" Atemu asked, "I'll be there in an instant if that's the case." Sceppiro tried to relay the question, sending Sith what he could of Atemu's reaction, but Sith's response was almost impossible to decipher, even with Sceppiro being an Esper. He opened his eyes and shook his head sadly.

"I can't tell, but I don't think she does," Sceppiro replied, and Atemu hung his head, "She's fine. She's not hurt, and she says that's what matters. But she wants you to get to the palace." Atemu glared at the sand. Sith was always stubborn when it came to her own health, and at times like these, it was a serious worry for him. But he had to accept her choice.

"Tell her to come back if anyone else attacks her," Atemu finally said, forcing himself to move on, "I can't… lose her." Sceppiro sighed at the tone of desperation in Atemu's voice. As he led the way, everyone else slowly followed. Seth glanced over at Atemu, but his mind was obviously on the state of his knight. For over an hour, the group traveled in complete silence, save for Cyd commenting on various plants in the desert.

"Think there's anything we can do about this?" Karim asked quietly when Cyd began to ask Atemu about what they should expect to see at the palace, "The pharaoh is truly bothered by what happened to Knight Sith."

"There's little we can do, Karim," Mahaado said regretfully, "She's too far away for any retrieval spell to get her, and only the gods are strong enough to venture into Kul Elna." Seth looked over at his fellow priests and snorted.

"I say we do nothing," he replied, crossing his arms, "It's her choice to leave our safety. If she's hurt, it's her own fault." Mahaado's eyes widened in shock, and Karim reeled back, blown away by Seth's uncaring response. Sith could be dying for all they know, and Seth would do nothing to help.

"How can you say that!? She is our friend and one of our strongest allies!" Mahaado gasped, and that caught Atemu's attention. The young king stopped and looked back, giving Seth a daring look, guessing that whatever Mahaado was upset about was indeed caused by the priest. Seth returned the king's stare with an equally undaunted one.

"But she's stubborn and doesn't take any consequence into her actions," Seth reminded Mahaado, his frown deepening, "If she dies, it's her own fault." Mahaado was about to open his mouth, but when he saw Atemu behind him, he stopped himself. Atemu crossed his arms, sighed, and gave Seth the sternest look the priest had ever remembered seeing on his face. In honesty, it made Seth shiver.

"And you would let _my_ knight die because you decided not to help her?" Atemu asked, and when Seth perked an eyebrow, Atemu said, "This is not an 'eye-for-an-eye' world. Sith didn't hesitate to help you when you needed it. I expect the same to apply to every member of my court, and if you think me a fool for such a request, then I'll have you dismissed. There is no room for selfishness in my court." Seth simply rolled his eyes as Atemu dismissed the matter and continued leading the way to his palace. He'd been threatened of dismissal many times at this point, and he seriously began to doubt the pharaoh would follow through on his word. Mahaado gave Seth a sharp glare as he stormed forward, and Karim simply shook his head, running to keep up with his angry friend. Atemu didn't look back to make sure Seth was following, and it was only when Cyd spoke that he finally forced himself to actually focus on something instead of walking blindly.

"What happened back there?" Cyd asked, casting a skeptical glance back, "Is everything okay, boy?" Atemu looked at Cyd angrily, but when he realized Cyd wasn't Seth, he calmed down and shook his head.

"I just had to remind one of my priests that selfishness is not tolerated in my court," Atemu explained. Cyd nodded, and grinned.

"Was it that bastard, Seth?" he asked, and Atemu laughed, nodding his head, "I don't like him. Want me to hurt him?" Atemu calmed his laughter so Seth didn't hear, and shook his head. As much as he himself wanted to hit Seth for his behavior, it wasn't in anyone's best interest to do so. They needed as many healers as possible for the battle later, and though Atemu shuddered to admit it, Seth was a healer.

"No. I won't set a terrible example for my people," Atemu replied, a small smile breaking through, "Besides, I'm sure Sith will want to give him her own form of punishment later. And I don't want to disrupt that." Cyd laughed, imagining Sith chasing a priest around the palace with her sword drawn, its purple aura dancing up and down the slender blade. All the while, Seth would simply try to evade her. Cyd shook his head in amusement, forcing the thought away as Sceppiro let out a gasp of awe. Seth, Mahaado, and Karim all stopped, looking up as they stepped into the shadows of the city, its large, impenetrable wall protecting the inner sanctums. Atemu's smile widened as he looked on at the city.

"Is this where the palace is?" Sceppiro asked, breathlessly taking in the beauty, "It's… it's amazing. So vastly different from my own kingdom." Atemu nodded, and turned to face both Cyd and Sceppiro.

"My dear ally, king Sceppiro Winchester, I welcome you to Egypt," Atemu said proudly. Sceppiro bowed gracefully, and Cyd simply gave the thumbs up. Seth rolled his eyes and walked over to the gate, where two guards sat on the other side. He cleared his throat loudly, and they both nearly toppled over.

"L-lord Seth! You're back!" one guard yipped, scrambling up. But as he looked at the group, of which he could only see the three priests, he asked, "Where is Knight Sith, and the Great Pharaoh?"

"The great pharaoh is with us," Mahaado said calmly, and then looked down, "Knight Sith… she is…"

"She has gone to the ruins of Kul Elna to find the thief, Bakura," Atemu finished, walking up to the gate, "Please, allow us in." Both guards blinked, and one scrambled for the switch as the other yelled, "Yes, sir!" Immediately, the gates were raised, and Mahaado escorted Atemu through them as Karim and Seth followed closer behind. But as Sceppiro and Cyd went to pass, both guards crossed their spears to prevent passage.

"HEY!" Cyd yelled angrily, gritting his teeth, "Why ain't you lettin' us pass!?"

"You are not of royal or noble blood, nor are you from this city. We cannot permit passage without permission from our king," one of the guards stated. Sceppiro's ears lowered while Cyd's stiffened, but Atemu turned around.

"It is all right," Atemu said calmly, "That is king Sceppiro of Nesce and his uncle, Cydandilus. They are our allies and Knight Sith's family." The guards blinked, unable to believe they were standing in front of two more Espers.

"T-the king of Nesce!?" one guard piped, and when Sceppiro nodded with slight amusement, he said, "I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to halt you. Please, by all means, enter." Sceppiro smiled kindly and walked through as Cyd simply mumbled something unheard. Atemu chuckled as the gates slid closed, and led his party through the streets. Many people had come out to see who was entering, and upon seeing not only the priests, but Atemu as well, cheers erupted from the houses, stalls, and cantons around the area. Atemu just smiled, acknowledging the attention as Seth simply rolled his eyes, bored with the laughter and delight emitted from the townspeople.

"I'm sure your departure from the city scared everyone," Sceppiro said as he noticed how joyous everyone had become, "Perhaps you can rest easier with your kingdom at such ease?" Atemu sighed, his smile weakening. He was glad his city was calming down, but he couldn't rest. Not knowing that Sith and Bakura were gone. And he promised Sith he would prepare for battle, even if it meant fighting without her. He couldn't break that promise.

"I would like to, but my promise to Sith must be filled," Atemu said, frowning slightly, "I'm worried for her, Sceppiro. I truly worry she might be hurt, and simply unwilling to let me know." Sceppiro patted Atemu's back. He felt sympathetic for the man, even if he felt protective of his sister.

"Well, my sister's pretty stubborn about some things," Sceppiro admitted, looking up and adjusting his glasses, "But if she was truly in mortal danger, she wouldn't get herself killed. She doesn't want you suffering any more than you are." Atemu's smile returned, and he closed his eyes. He wanted to read Sith's thoughts, to know for certain she was all right, but all he could do was feel her emotions. Right now, she was confused, unable to locate Bakura anywhere, or the tablet, for that matter. But there was no pain in her emotions. Terror had faded, leaving just caution and determination. Atemu opened his eyes, satisfied with what he felt. At least she was physically healthy. That was enough for him. Finally, as he hadn't realized during his focus, the group stood outside of the palace gates. Guards were already in the process of opening them, and they passed into the courtyard.

"Oh my lord! This is magnificent!" Sceppiro exclaimed, looking at the fountain as it reflected flowers in its water, sending rainbows of color across the court as it fell in an arc, "No wonder Sith preferred this." Atemu laughed.

"Actually, your father enchanted the water to do that when Sith and I were really little," Atemu explained, "You probably don't remember, as you usually stayed in the palace, in your room. But Sith loved the colors, and I liked the flowers. She'd always laugh when I'd try and catch one, only to fall into the water." Atemu's cheeks flushed crimson a bit as he recalled the memory, his smile growing. Sceppiro snorted with disapproval, but said nothing.

"So, boy, what do we do now?" Cyd asked, not wanting to waste too much time, "What weapons do you got to battle Rath?" Atemu blinked, raising an eyebrow. All he had were swords, spears, and possibly catapults, and when he relayed this to Cyd, the old pilot snorted and asked, "You ain't got any cannons!?"

"…what _are_ cannons?" Seth asked, crossing his arms. Cyd looked from Atemu to Seth, wondering how none of them even knew what a cannon was. He explained it to them quickly just as they saw Shaddah, Isis, and Malik running out of the palace. Catching the movement, Atemu turned to face the two priests and the young boy, raising a concerned eyebrow. They skidded to a halt upon seeing his gaze.

"T-the pharaoh!" Shaddah exclaimed, bowing at once, "Sir! You've returned! We were just about to find you!" Isis glanced down at Shaddah, and Atemu simply smiled.

"Thank you, but I'm unharmed," Atemu replied, and then his tone became much more serious, "But now isn't the time for casualties. We must prepare for battle at once." Shaddah blinked, and then stood up. He exchanged another nervous glance with Isis, neither one knowing how they could've gotten involved in a battle. Malik tilted his head, his hood nearly flopping over.

"Why're we going to battle?" he asked, "And with who?"

"A dark Esper named Rath attacked us while we were escaping Nesce to bring king Sceppiro and his uncle Cydandilus here for safety," Mahaado explained briefly, and then added with a gloomy tone, "Because of her, we lost Bakura."

"But where is Knight Sith?" Isis asked, realizing that Sith wasn't among them.

"She is searching the ruins of Kul Elna for any sign of the thief, and for his spirit, Diabound," Seth replied disapprovingly, "Though why she bothers with him is a mystery. He's nothing important." Karim shot an angry glare at Seth as they all headed into the palace. The guards outside must've heard the briefing about Rath, as many of them scrambled to get to the armories.

"Without him, we wouldn't have found Sith at all," Karim said furiously, "And the pharaoh wouldn't have come to speak with the Esper king." Seth's lips tightened. Karim had a point, but Seth still thought Bakura to be absolutely useless. They quickly walked through the hallway, making sure to dodge the frenzied soldiers as word of battle quickly spread through the palace. Atemu didn't stop them as three guards whizzed past him toward one of the many vaults holding their weapons. He simply continued walking toward the throne room, with Sceppiro and Cyd both by his side. When he finally reached the room, he was surprised to find only Siamun there, standing faithfully by the throne. A pang of worry hit him when he saw that Sith's usual place would again be unoccupied.

"Great pharaoh, you're alive!" Siamun exclaimed, hobbling down the steps of the large pedestal where the throne sat, "Thank the gods! When word reached out that you had left, everyone was in a panic! But what's going on, my king? It's snowing, and…"

"I know, I know. We're in a lot of trouble," Atemu said quickly when Siamun reached him, "We were attacked by a Dark Esper while we attempted to escape from Nesce." Siamun raised a concerned eyebrow as he looked at Cyd, who nodded grimly.

"It's true, Siamun," Cyd said, and all of the other priests looked at him, shocked that he knew the elder's name, "Nesce's in ruins now because of those damned Dark Espers. An' my niece is trying to find some monster that can help rip them all to shreds." Siamun sighed, and nodded, rubbing his forehead as though he had been completely exhausted.

"I'm sorry you've had to visit on such terrible conditions, Cydandilus," Siamun replied, looking down, "But what's happening? Why are they attacking a fellow Esper kingdom?"

"We believe Sceppiro was the intended target when they attacked us," Karim explained, "It was either him or Sith, but both were put into incredible danger. Their leader, Rath, is Sceppiro's older cousin." Siamun's eyes widened.

"What!?" he exclaimed, his shock echoing off of the walls, "Rath is… she is a relative of yours?" He looked at Sceppiro, who looked away and nodded, hoping his distaste and regret was portrayed in his posture. Cyd's lips thinned and he glared at the floor.

"As much as the Winchester family is loathe to admit it, Rath is our cousin," Sceppiro said quietly, "It was because of her that we lost our mother, not because of Sith." Siamun gave Sceppiro a sympathetic look. Seth, however, had many questions for Siamun, and decided that before anymore time was wasted, he would have them answered.

"Lord Siamun, how do you know the Winchesters so well?" Seth asked, "And what connection does Rath's current attack have on Egypt in the past?" Siamun sighed, and closed his eyes. It was a long time ago, possibly fifteen years since he had seen Rath, but he remembered everything.

"Long ago, when the pharaoh was a prince, and Sith was a princess, both barely four years old, Rath attacked us in the hopes of breaking the alliance made between Claude Winchester and pharaoh Ahkenumkanon and seizing the throne of the Espers," Siamun explained, "As per our alliance, Nesce and Egypt banded together, and with a combination of our powerful binds and their powerful magic, we were able to seal Rath onto one of the four magnetized islands that help keep Nesce in the sky."

"So then it looks like she's back to her old plans again," Shaddah commented grimly. Atemu looked down. He had only known of one battle between Egypt and the Dark Espers, but Sith had been in that battle, and she had been the cause of victory. He relayed this to Siamun, who chuckled.

"That battle was simply their attempt to stake a piece of our land for their own," Siamun replied calmly, "My pharaoh, Dark Espers themselves are simply Espers created from Hell or cast away from their tribes due to serious and often unforgivable crimes. They are not evil, and at that time, Rath was not in control. That is why we won so quickly. Their numbers were miniscule, and they simply wanted a place to call home. But neither Sith, Claude, nor your father wanted to risk them bringing a new leader into power so close to either of our defenses." Atemu nodded, but one thing didn't make sense to him. Why would Rath continue her attempt after nearly fifteen years of seclusion?

"Siamun, Sith is much more powerful than I," Atemu stated, "Why would she attack the Espers first? Is it something to do with my father's alliance?" Siamun nodded.

"Yes. She knew that if she launched an attack on Egypt, Sith would stop her in an instant. At least, that would be my guess," Siamun replied, and Atemu looked down, "If she were to separate you and Sith, neither of you would be able to help the other, considerably weakening both countries' defenses. In that way, Egypt and Nesce would have no doubt turned on each other, thinking the other responsible for the attack. That would give Rath the opening she needed to kill you, and in turn, kill Sith and Sceppiro later." Atemu's eyes narrowed as he stared at the floor. He realized that the incident at the Lion's gate was simply a ruse to lure Sith away, and like a fool, he had allowed that ruse to grow. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. He looked back at Siamun.

"…did Sith know this?" he whispered, shivering. Siamun nodded grimly, and Atemu feared he'd lose control.

"I believe she suspected," Siamun replied, "But I didn't think her disappearance was connected to that. Now her departure makes more sense. She must've sensed something was wrong." Seth perked a skeptical brow and snorted, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. Siamun glanced at the impatient priest and asked, "You would like to state something, Priest Seth?"

"Sith appeared to know absolutely nothing when we found her!" Seth cried angrily, "You honestly expect me to believe she would hide this valuable information from the pharaoh?" Siamun's eyes widened, and Karim glared again. Mahaado looked down, and Cyd surely seemed ready to attack Seth. Only Sceppiro and Atemu remained calm.

"If my sister thought it would put you all in grave danger, she would avoid talking about her suspicion," Sceppiro replied, smiling sadly, "She knew something was wrong in Nesce, that much I know. She was willing to risk having to fight me to get me to listen to her, despite our being apart for nearly seven years. But I doubt she truly understood until after we spoke, and after we found the chancellor dead." Everyone remained silent, unable to add to what Sceppiro had said. Atemu felt terrible for being so unknowing, but he understood Sith kept it that way for his protection. He sighed, wishing that Sith would simply come back, would tell him everything that was going on so that he could help her even more than he was now. But that wouldn't happen. Sith wouldn't simply come back because _he_ wanted her to, and it was hard for him to accept that, even though he told himself and everyone around him he could never control her. Just as he closed his eyes to try once more to relay his worry to Sith, a guard burst into the throne room, skin paled and sweat dripping off of him. Atemu's eyes flew open, and he looked at the guard with worry.

"Sir! There's a huge disturbance near the Nile river! People living near the area are requesting passage!" the guard cried, and everyone felt the urgency in his voice, "What do we do?" Atemu clenched his fists. The battle was now starting. He knew it, he knew that whatever was happening by the large river was because of magic.

"Let the innocents inside," Atemu commanded, "But do not go out there. Everyone is to stay within the wall until I give the order." The guard nodded and left at once. Atemu closed his eyes, wondering how much damage he would take from the attack as Siamun cleared his throat, catching his attention again.

"My pharaoh, what do we do about this?" Siamun asked, "Surely, this is an attack." Atemu agreed, crossing his arms and thinking carefully. There had been no casualties, which he was grateful for, but he had no idea what he was going after. He looked to Seth, who seemed to understand what was coming.

"I don't know what we're facing yet, so to plan an attack blind would be suicide," Atemu said grimly, "We must know what it is we're planning to attack. I don't think it's Rath herself. Priest Seth, I would like you to go to the Nile and see what it is that's causing such dischord within my kingdom." Seth sighed and hung his head, but forced himself to agree. He hated reconnaissance work, he truly did, but he knew he was on very thin ice, and the last thing he wanted was to be dismissed.

"Yes, my king," Seth said reluctantly, "I will leave immediately." He expected some sort of response, but what he didn't expect were Mahaado and Karim to stand next to him and agree to leave with him.

"We would like to accompany Priest Seth to the riverbed," Karim said sternly, and when Atemu placed no objection, he added, "It'll be safer with three of us, and we're formidable when we work as a team." Mahaado nodded, and even Seth had to chuckle. That much was true. They had gotten through several obstacles simply by combining their ideas. Bidding farewell, the three priests left, and Atemu watched through the window as they walked toward the courtyard and toward the stables. Deciding to help the guards prepare for defense, Isis, Shaddah, and Malik all left, leaving Cyd, Sceppiro, and Siamun with Atemu. Cyd and Siamun were discussing something, but Sceppiro simply stood at the doorway, looking down. Atemu sensed he was worried for Sith as well. Deciding it best not to engage Sceppiro about it, Atemu simply walked onto the balcony, looking down into the fountain. Soon, everything would be set for battle, but it made him uneasy to think of fighting without his knight. He closed his eyes, trying just once more to speak to Sith through her mind.

"Sith, please hurry. The battle is already beginning."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, Atemu finally returns to the palace and enlists all of his priests to brief them in on Rath's inevitable attack. But to his shock, Siamun already knew of the oncoming danger, and by the explanation he gives, Sith knew as well. But just as things become slightly more clear, a new disturbance is attacking near the Nile. Can Seth and his fellows make it before someone gets killed? And will Sith return to the palace with Diabound? Will Rath strike in her absence? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	13. Deception and Destruction

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he doesn't remember Bakura ever using a bracelet to summon Diabound.

"So, what do you think is down at the Nile?" Sceppiro asked, when Atemu didn't speak for a while. Siamun and Cydandilus had left for the map room to scope out the best places to send squadrons for battle, leaving the two monarchs to simply stand at the balcony. Atemu had been deep in thought, though none of them could even reach Sith despite his attempts and prayers. He glanced at Sceppiro.

"I'm not sure, but my guess is it's something inhuman," Atemu stated, though he knew that part was obvious, "I'm worried it could be a beast of the water, in which we won't stand much chance. The Nile isn't big enough to stage an all-out assault." Sceppiro nodded. The Nile was big, but if the monster was too large, they wouldn't be able to attack unless they relied on magic. Atemu asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Unfortunately, no," Sceppiro said, sighing, "It would depend on what's happening down there." Atemu sighed. He didn't like the idea of having to wait before he could defend anyone. It made him feel useless.

"I wonder if Sith would see it," he said absently, and Sceppiro let out a long sigh.

"If she did, she'd probably fight it," he stated sternly, "I just hope she doesn't. We need her _here_." Atemu sighed, wishing that Sceppiro hadn't said that. It was true, but it made his heart ache with guilt. He had allowed most of their misfortune thus far unfold simply because he had no true idea of what was actually happening. As he looked out once more across the desert, he saw something in the distance, like a large cloud of dust. Immediately, he tugged on Sceppiro's shoulder, and the other man looked out as well, raising a confused brow at the sight as it began to draw closer to them.

"What _is_ that?" Atemu asked, alarmed as he realized that the cloud was aiming right for the palace. Sceppiro blinked, squinting his eyes. He felt magic, but it was jumbled to him. His ears lowered.

"I can't say, but it's magical in nature," Sceppiro replied calmly, and then glanced at Atemu, "Think it's another attack?" Atemu bit his lip. He had no way to answer, but if it was, he was sourly unprepared. Something leapt away from the cloud, heading even faster toward them, and a loud, long whistle was heard as that object came whizzing toward them. Atemu ducked as Sceppiro shut his eyes, and whatever was coming landing next to them with a thud. Atemu smelled the familiar scent of flowers and opened his eyes. Sith stood there, looking down at him with amusement.

"Did I scare you, sir?" she asked calmly, smiling slyly. Atemu laughed, nodding as he stepped back. Sceppiro simply looked at Sith with wide eyes.

"Of course not, Sith. Welcome back," Atemu replied, and for a second, the two of them hugged, "Did you find Diabound?" Sith nodded as she let go of him, and turned around to watch as the cloud of dust continued advancing toward the palace.

"Yes, sir. That's him," she replied, pointing to the dust cloud, "He prefers to move quickly, probably some influence from Bakura, but that cloud is him. Sorry to have taken so long. I was… attacked." Atemu frowned when he looked at her, remembering what Sceppiro had relayed to them.

"I know. Your brother told me of that," Atemu said sadly, "Are you hurt?"

"No. At least, not badly," Sith replied, smiling weakly, "They pulled my hair, but nothing else. Did I miss anything while I was gone?" Atemu blinked, not appreciating the change in subject, but he allowed it. After all, there was a battle not far from there, and he had a feeling that Sith would want to be informed with as much as he could give her. Sighing, he nodded.

"Something appears to be attacking the area around the Nile," Atemu stated seriously, and Sith frowned, "No one dares get close enough to see what it is, but it could be another attack. Did you happen to see it?" Sith looked down and shook her head. Kul Elna wasn't close to the river, and even if it was, she headed back a completely different way. The only way she could've seen anything was if she had jumped, which she didn't.

"No, sir. I came back a different route," Sith said simply, "I didn't think it was safe to go the normal path." She didn't add that she was afraid of her attackers, but Atemu seemed to understand that the statement was implied. He smiled weakly, not blaming her for being cautious. Sceppiro glanced at her, his lips thinning. He wanted to know just what happened.

"How did you escape them?" he asked quietly, and Sith looked at him for a minute. Then she looked away. She had no way to explain that, as she hadn't see much of it herself. All she knew was that she heard Bakura, and that she saw the muggers' bodies being sliced to pieces. She had seen Bakura, but she was sure it was just an illusion.

"Bakura… he did something to help me," Sith replied slowly, "I don't know what it was… but somehow, he killed them all. I found Diabound because one of the doors opened up immediately after. I think… I think he helped me with that as well." Sceppiro nodded, but didn't know if he actually believed that. He hadn't felt much magic in Bakura other than a slight trace of spiritual ability, so how did Bakura communicate with his sister? At any rate, he was still missing, and they still had to try and find him.

"Well, at least you have Diabound," Sceppiro stated quietly, frowning, "I just hope he'll be able to help." Sith agreed, and issued a command once she saw just how close Diabound had come. He screeched to a stop and sat down in the sand, causing a small tremor as he did so. He looked at Sith for another command, but none was given except to simply wait. Grumbling with displeasure, Diabound crossed his arms and looked around the expansive desert. Sith then turned to Atemu, confident that Diabound would stay put.

"Have you come up with any plans, sir?" she asked calmly, and Atemu blinked. In his worry, he hadn't prepared much of anything at all. The only thing he had was sending Seth, Mahaado, and Karim out to the Nile to investigate the attack. When he told this to Sith, she sighed and said, "Well, let's hope they live through it."

"You don't trust them?" Atemu inquired. Sith laughed.

"I trust Mahaado and Karim," she replied kindly, and then smirked, "As for Seth, I trust him as far as I could kick him. And despite my strength, I wouldn't waste the time kicking him." Atemu sighed with disapproval at the joke, but he didn't scold Sith for it. Instead, he simply looked out at the desert for another minute, and then led Sith into the audience chamber, with Sceppiro close behind. They had better start planning, he knew, or Rath would catch them unaware. And he didn't want that. No one did.

---

With Mahaado and Karim by his side, all three of them seated on top of very fast stallions, Seth rode through the desert with great speed, despite the small sandstorms that were kicking up. They had already dashed through a small outpost for travelers, stopping only to let their horses drink, and they were well on their way to the large, snaking river known as the Nile. So far, nothing unusual was seen, but Seth knew that was simply because the monster hadn't been spotted within their current location.

"What do you think could be causing such a hassle?" Karim asked, as they rode down a steep dune. Mahaado let his horse slow near the bottom, and shrugged, gripping the reins with one hand.

"I don't know. I doubt it's a shark or an alligator, though," Mahaado replied grimly, "It sounds like a very big creature, though. Do you think it could be connected to Rath?"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd say no, but with these Espers, you never truly know what they're planning," Seth said bitterly, scowling at the sand, "If Rath is trying to confuse us, she'd put it there as a ruse. She's done this before, but we can't ignore this one. People are in danger." Mahaado nodded as his horse sped up.

"As long as we lay low, we'll stay safe," Karim said firmly, "Remember: our mission is to simply see what's going on. The pharaoh said nothing about attacking anything." Mahaado nodded, glad that they wouldn't need to initiate a fight, but Seth snorted. Obviously, he felt the pharaoh had other plans to deal with the beast. Karim and Mahaado looked over at him, both raising perplexed brows. He laughed and gave a smug smile.

"Chances are, he'll send Sith down here to attack once we give them a report," Seth mused, his smile widening, "Not that I'm not looking forward to that. If Sith can beat it, all the more power to her. But what do you think we should do if whatever it is comes after us? You think he'll expect us to just run away?" Mahaado bit his lip. He had his guesses, and though he didn't enjoy fighting, he knew that the pharaoh would make exceptions to their orders if the situation called for it. If anything, Sith would support that.

"I think he'll expect us to think and act accordingly," Mahaado replied calmly, "We have our orders, but he knows the danger we're heading to. He wouldn't expect us to not defend ourselves if we needed to in order to survive. The only problem would be if it's an other-worldly monster. Those might be invulnerable to the weapons of man." Seth's eyes widened, remembering their last encounter with an "other-worldly" creature. Only Diabound seemed able to hold them off bay, and even that didn't stop them completely. He shivered.

"I'm going to pray that we don't face something like that," Seth grumbled, shivering, "We're dead if we do. And if we die, how will I ever see Sith get demoted?" Karim gave him a disapproving glare, but said nothing. He was never able to stop the feud between priest and knight, and he doubted he'd be successful now. Mahaado chuckled with amusement, and then clicked his tongue to get his horse's attention. When its ears pricked, he glanced at Seth.

"Whatever we face, it does us no good to wait around and talk about it," Mahaado stated, "How far away is the Nile? Do either of you know?" Seth shook his head, raising a questioning brow. Karim closed his eyes, focusing his magic to sense the area around him with his mind. He felt only a mile of sand stretching in their current direction, and then he felt a large body of water snaking around, which he guessed was the Nile. He opened an eye.

"No more than a mile at the most," Karim replied, "We should be there within minutes." Mahaado smiled encouragingly. They were making excellent time, even by the Pharaoh's standards. They continued riding, debating only in short sentences about what they would possibly face. Seth guessed it was something titanic, able to wipe them out with one blow, but Mahaado wondered if it was simply a smaller animal like a jackal that accidentally fell into the river, creating a huge splash. Karim thought it might have been a prank pulled by older children. Each one felt confident of their conclusion until Seth's horse screeched and threw the priest off, landing ungracefully into the sand.

"Seth, are you all right!?" Mahaado asked, jumping off of his horse and rushing to Seth's aid. Seth himself spat out sand and stood up, eye twitching with anger. His horse whinnied in terror again, and not even a sharp whistle calmed the beast down.

"What is wrong with that thing!?" Seth exclaimed, crossing his arms, "Do you think that whatever's in the Nile is reappearing?" Karim looked ahead. The Nile was in view, its length reaching across the desert floor for miles and miles on end, seeming to continue on forever. But nothing was in its watery depths, not even the shadows of fish. Whatever scared the horse was no longer there.

"There's nothing in the river," Karim replied flatly, "Perhaps the horse heard something farther away?"

"I don't buy it," Seth said sharply, walking toward the water's edge, "Something terrified my horse. I'm going to find out what it is!" Karim dismounted his horse as well, and tied all three to a nearby post used for travelers. Mahaado followed Seth slowly, glancing around for any signs of movement. None existed.

"Be careful, Seth," Mahaado warned sternly, "We were sent to merely investigate. If something appears, we must flee and warn the Pharaoh." Seth scoffed and looked behind him to face Mahaado, a smirk spreading across his face.

"I know my orders, Mahaado," Seth said smugly, "I don't intend to make the same mistake twice." Mahaado frowned with distaste at Seth's tone, severely doubting the younger priest's ability to actually follow an order, but he remained silent. Seth edged closer, looking into the murky depths. He could see nothing except the tips of the biggest rocks, and it disappointed him. The water was calm, as though nothing had ever disrupted its surface. Seth blinked, and waited. Their wait dragged on for minutes, and finally, Seth became frustrated as he exclaimed, "Where on earth _is_ this monster!?"

"We need to be patient, Seth," Karim reminded him, "The monster may have fled when the guards saw it."

"Patient!? I'm tired of being patient, Karim!" Seth spat, kicking a pebble, "If you haven't noticed, my patience is wearing very thin!" Mahaado raised an amused eyebrow as the pebble shattered the surface of the river with a loud crash, causing large ripples in the river.

"You actually had patience at one time?" Mahaado joked, "You could've fooled me." Seth gritted his teeth, obviously not enjoying the fun being poked at him. Karim snickered, and Seth glared at him.

"Both of you can go to Hell at this point," he mumbled unhappily, "As a matter of fact, I'm very patient. The fact that you all are still alive should be indicative of that!" Karim stopped laughing and looked at Seth very sternly.

"I think the fact that you haven't yet been dismissed is indicative of the Pharaoh's Mercy," Karim stated bitterly, "Hold your tongue, Seth." Seth rolled his eyes, but he obeyed nonetheless. The last thing he needed was to be scolded by his peers… or thrown into the river depending on who decided to punish him. Both priests simply stared, until Mahaado gasped, breaking their eye contact. Both looked at him, and his face had paled. Concerned, Karim asked, "Mahaado, what's wrong?"

"Stay quiet, and look over there," Mahaado whispered, pointing. Seth turned around and saw what had made Mahaado so nervous, and what might've scared the horses. A large group of soldiers were marching toward the river, about 300 feet away. But what had made Mahaado nervous was that they weren't human. They were Espers, and they weren't riding horses. They appeared to be riding small behemoths, drool issuing from the beasts' mouths. Quickly, the three priests hid behind a small stand set up for traveling salesmen. They popped their heads up just enough to see what was happening.

"What are Espers doing in Egypt!?" Karim hissed, tensing up, "Are they here for king Sceppiro?"

"It doesn't appear to be so," Mahaado whispered back, "I smell something suspicious." They decided to keep quiet and to listen to whatever was happening. One soldier, a large man with horns protruding from his head and drooping cat ears, walked over to the river.

"Those bastards of the Pharaoh have already reported the Kraken as a threat!" he called to the other guards, "It's retreated already!" One of the mounts looked over, and Karim barely saw a long tail sweeping the ground. He adjusted his spear.

"Can you call it back, Ruon?" he asked, his wings ruffling. Ruon, who Seth guessed was the guard at the river, shook his head, letting his large sword drop to the sand.

"No. It either retreated back to Hell or it's seeking different waters," Ruon said bitterly, "All of that magic wasted for nothing! Rath won't be happy with this." All three priests' eyes widened at the mention of Rath. Whoever these men were, they were working for her! Another Esper grunted.

"Neither will Commander Leone," he grumbled, crossing his large arms, "We'll be lucky if one of us doesn't get demoted for this. Should we simply head to the palace and capture king Sceppiro? Or his sister?"

"No. The Pharaoh no doubt has protection on them," Ruon replied, "There's little use going after either of those traitors, and recalling the Kraken will do no good if the Pharaoh is alerted to it. Our best bet is to go back to Aeroglyph and tell Rath that the Pharaoh knows we're coming. At the very least, that little rat she imprisoned can be used as a shield until they attack." Seth bit his tongue to keep himself from attacking. This was even worse than he had thought, though he couldn't begin to imagine just what a Kraken was.

"Sir Ruon, what if we're demoted!?" another Esper asked, and Seth could tell that this soldier was considerably younger, "What will happen to the Leone Mattoun brigade?" Ruon sighed, and then shook his head.

"That is for Rath and Commander Leone to decide," he said grimly, "Leone Mattoun brigade, move out!" Shouts of the command were repeated, and slowly, the group of Espers left the river, leaving the three priests behind to watch them leave until they vanished in the distance. All three glanced at each other, not one knowing just how to put their new concerns into words. Seth stood up and walked out of the stand.

"What exactly does this mean?" he asked, heading toward the frightened horses, "Is Nesce waging a war on us?" Mahaado stood up as well, and shook his head as he dusted the sand off of his robes.

"No. Rath is issuing an attack," Mahaado replied grimly, "I'm not surprised she's using Aeroglyph as a base. Everyone living there either fled or was killed in battle." Seth sighed, looking down. He had no idea what to say about that.

"Should we tell Sith what we heard?" Karim asked, crossing his arms as Seth unhooked the horses, "It's no doubt that she would want to know." Mahaado looked down, unable to answer. It was true; Sith would eventually need to know what was happening, but could they risk her heading out to stop Rath? She would probably end up doing so, regardless of Atemu's wishes.

"I think we need to," Seth said, stroking his horse to settle it down. When both Mahaado and Karim looked at him in shock, he continued, "Think about this for a minute. As much as I don't like her, Aeroglyph is her home, and she _is_ the pharaoh's closest friend. She deserves to know. At the very least, she and her family can give us some more information. They might know what a Kraken is, and why Rath sent one out. That man, Ruon, seemed really upset that it retreated even though it didn't attack. I doubt that this was meant as another attack." Karim blinked, realizing that Seth had a point. He walked over and climbed onto his horse, Seth doing the same.

"Mahaado, I think Seth is right," he stated, much to Seth's surprise, "I don't think Rath was going to strike us with the Kraken. At any rate, we have what we need. We might as well head back." Mahaado sighed and climbed onto his horse as well. Their decision was made; they had to warn Atemu and talk to Sith, Sceppiro, and Cyd about what was happening. If Aeroglyph was taken over, Egypt was going to be next very soon, and a counterattack had to be made quickly. Wasting no time, the three sped off toward the palace, pushing their horses as far as they felt safe to do so. What had been a decently long trek to the river seemed like nothing on the returning trip to the palace, but Seth simply guessed that was more because of their fear and adrenaline jumbling their mind. Within what seemed as minutes, they were rushing through the city gates, through the streets, and up to the palace courtyard. Mahaado and Karim jumped off their horses, who dashed toward the stable, glad to be somewhere safe. Seth, however, didn't even bother. He simply rode his horse directly into the palace, despite protests from guards, servants, and Malik himself, who had come to get a scroll for Isis. Seth ignored them all, or at least tried to.

"I'll have you arrested for interfering with official matters, peasant!" he snapped at one servant, who loudly told him to get off his horse before seeing the pharaoh. The servant grumbled and reluctantly left, and Seth continued speeding toward the audience chamber, well ahead of Mahaado and Karim, both of whom were trying to calm down the rattled guards. He burst through to the audience chamber to find Sith, Atemu, and Sceppiro talking about something. Cyd was near the back, arms crossed and waiting for something. Atemu looked up, raising an interested brow when he saw Seth riding a steed into _his_ palace.

"Priest Seth? Did you see what was the matter?" he asked, and then chuckled, "And… why are you riding a horse through my halls? Are you trying to entertain me, or do you think yourself a knight?" Seth's eyes narrowed at the question, and he finally climbed off his horse. Sith glanced at him quizzically, wondering what exactly he was doing.

"You seem worried, Seth," she stated calmly, "Were you attacked?" Seth shook his head.

"No, but you're not going to like what we've found," Seth replied grimly, "That monster, it was a ruse to try and distract us from Rath. I heard men talking about it, but what's most troubling was that they were all Espers." Sith's eyes widened, and Atemu's mouth dropped open. Espers! What were they doing in Egypt?

"Espers are attacking Egypt!?" Atemu demanded as Sith asked, "What did they say?" Seth looked down, unable to take the fury from Atemu or the concern in Sith's voice. He knew there would be trouble, but he hadn't expected such an extreme reaction from the pharaoh.

"I… I don't know, pharaoh," Seth replied slowly, "As for what they said… they called the monster a Kraken. I don't know what it is, but they said they can't recall it. Sith, what _is_ a Kraken?" Sith blinked as she slowly processed what Seth was saying. At that moment, Karim and Mahaado both ran in, both looking as though they had just finished a marathon. Her ears lowering, Sith opened her mouth to speak.

"A Kraken… is a terrible monster that lives in the sea," Sith began hesitantly, her voice unusually soft, "They're at least five times as big as an octopus, and have ten times the tentacles as well. They are… incredibly dangerous and can easily wipe out a city in less than an hour. But what troubles me is that they aren't known to be spotted near any piece of land."

"Where does it come from?" Mahaado asked. Sith sighed, and this time, Sceppiro decided to answer, feeling that his sister was still floored from being told that they had encountered a Kraken.

"Normally, it lives in the upper northeastern seas, but where it originated from isn't know," Sceppiro replied calmly, crossing his arms and frowning, "Some say they were born in Atlantis itself, but none have ever been able to confirm that. But… to have one here… someone had to have sent it. Who were the men you saw? Did they have names?" Seth nodded, and looked at Sith critically. She blinked, wondering why he was looking at her so intently.

"One of them was named Ruon. They said they were the Leone Mattoun brigade," Seth told them, "Knight Sith, does that name mean anything? They were Espers." Sith's eyes widened, and she nodded. Her skin paled, and Seth guessed that whatever he had just said, it was a very painful memory for her. She glanced at Sceppiro, and he had the same expression as she. Even Cyd seemed startled with the name.

"Who are they?" Atemu asked, when he too saw the drastic expressions on the three Espers. Sith turned to him, and she looked troubled.

"The… The Leone Mattoun brigade… that is one of the finest squadrons of soldiers that defended Nesce," Sith replied shakily, "…Sceppiro was part of them… and I almost joined them as well."

"They mentioned Rath," Seth told her, and she looked at him, shocked, "I think they work for her now." Sith's frown worsened, and Sceppiro growled angrily. Cyd glared at the floor, gripping his spear until it threatened to snap under his strength.

"Then they are traitors," Sceppiro said sharply, and Sith glanced at him, "How _dare_ they double-cross us! If they're planning to attack, we must…"

"Sceppiro, stop!" Sith commanded sternly, and Sceppiro ceased his words at once, "We don't know the entire story. I do not believe that they would simply betray us like this. They… they know what Rath did." At this, she turned to Seth and asked, "Did they mention anything more?" Seth nodded, sighing grimly. Whatever he was about to say, Sith knew it was going to be very distressing. She braced herself.

"Yes… Apparently, Rath has seized Aeroglyph and is using it as her base of operations," Seth said, and the reaction of the three Espers was instantaneous and overwhelming.

"What!? How _dare_ she!"

"I knew that little rat wasn't no good!"

"No, this cannot be so!" Atemu held Sith as she screamed furiously at nothing in particular, and then burst into uncontrollable crying. Sceppiro's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching. Seth couldn't sense his actual feelings, but he guessed that Sceppiro was deep in hatred for his cousin. Seth didn't blame him one bit. Cyd, however, sighed. He had no idea how to actually react. Seth looked at Sith and Sceppiro sympathetically, and then turned to Atemu, who seemed unable to comfort or control Sith at all.

"What do we do, my pharaoh?" he asked. Atemu looked down. He had no ideas, no ways of knowing when and how to strike, or when to defend. And he knew Sith had no ideas, either. She was too distraught. Sceppiro himself was too busy thinking of how he should kill Rath himself. Cyd, however, was the only one who remained calm enough to think clearly. He cleared his throat, and everyone looked over at him.

"You have a plan, Cydandilus?" Saimun asked, tilting his head. Cyd nodded, his lips thinning.

"It's a stretch, but at least I got one," Cyd said grimly, "Rath infiltrated the kingdom, so I say we take it back. We can sneak inside and figure out how to take her down from the inside!" Sith stopped sobbing and looked up at her uncle, her face stained with tears. She blinked, her breathing heavy from crying.

"Uncle… are you suggesting that one of us goes in and… and destroys her?" Sith asked, and when Cyd nodded, she exclaimed, "We can't! It's too dangerous!" Cyd chuckled, amused with how exasperated the idea made his niece, but he shook his head, grinning. Sith stopped yelling and panted for breath, getting very worn out from her emotions.

"Well, what do you and your brother suggest?" Cyd asked slyly, and when Sith produced no answer, he said, "Look, Sithy, I know you don' want your friends to get hurt, but that's inevitable at this point. Rath's gone and taken our homeland. Your friends are all we got to stop her." Sith frowned, her shoulders slumping as Cyd spoke. He was right; Atemu and his court were the only allies she had that were fit for battle. But she couldn't throw them in danger.

"I'll go in then," Sith said sternly, "At least, let me go in first."

"Are you insane!? You can't go!" Sceppiro cried, causing everyone to look at him from his outburst, "Sith, Rath knows who we are. Neither of us can go in without being murdered on sight. That's even worse than sending anyone else."

"Then who can we send?" Sith argued, crossing her arms stiffly, "Surely, not one of the priests. None of them can even wield a sword let alone pass off as an Esper. And Rath spotted Atemu as well. Tell me, if not I, then who can go?" No one spoke as they considered their options. Atemu couldn't let Sith or Sceppiro go. The danger was self-explanatory. He also guessed it was unsafe for Cyd as well. Sighing, he fell into his throne.

"We're very limited in our options," he said grimly, "Times like this, I wish Bakura were here. He would go."

"Technically, he's already there," Seth replied, "Well, I'm assuming so. They mentioned that Rath has a prisoner, but they didn't give details." Sith's eyes narrowed.

"Someone has to help him, then," she said firmly. Seth looked back at Mahaado and Karim, and all three nodded, somehow understanding the question in Seth's mind. He would volunteer to go. After all, he did have a little battle experience, and he was good at running away. Sighing, he turned back to Atemu.

"I'll go and sneak in," Seth decided, and when Sith snapped up to him, he said, "Look, I'm good at deception. They have no idea who I am, and we need someone skilled in battle." Sith snorted with amusement, and Seth glared at her, wondering just what part of his volunteer was so funny to her.

"And you think you qualify for that?" Sith asked, and when Seth growled, she said, "Priest Seth, I respect you, but be realistic. Rath is an _Esper_. She can kill you in hundreds of ways without even drawing breath. If you're caught… at least take Mahaado and…"

"No. I'm going alone," Seth cut Sith out, and this time, Mahaado protested as he stepped forward.

"Seth, you can't!" Mahaado cried, throwing his arms up, "Not alone! It's not safe!"

"But we barely have defenses _here_. The more priests here, the better," Seth reminded them all, and then smirked, "Besides, the less people I have with me, the less I need to worry." Mahaado backed down, unable to argue that. And judging from Atemu's silence, he agreed, either reluctantly or not. Sith stepped up to him and handed Seth a large key. He took it. It was silver, with a lion insignia on its end.

"No one can control your choice, but be very careful, Priest Seth. Once you leave, not even our Pharaoh will protect you," she said sternly, though not unkindly, "As for that key, it will unlock the gates of the castle. I have a feeling that Rath locked the kingdom up in cowardice. Do not lose it." Seth nodded, and pocketed the key, surprised by how heavy it truly was. Sith smiled kindly, and then walked back to take her place next to the throne. Seth looked to Sceppiro.

"If I'm to do this, I'll need a disguise. Can you make me look like an Esper?" Seth asked. Sceppiro blinked, and when he glanced at Sith, she nodded. He smiled, and then looked at Seth.

"Yes. I can temporarily change your features to that of our race," Sceppiro replied, "But I'll need a large amount of energy and mystical traces." Atemu looked over at them, and pointed to a door behind him.

"The Ceremonial chamber should be perfect for you, then," Atemu replied, "There are a number of crystals that we use to bless those chosen for the Priesthood. That should be potent enough." Sceppiro nodded, and with Seth, walked toward the room behind Atemu. Slowly, the door opened, and as it did so, Seth had a nervous sensation in his stomach. Sighing, he walked in when it fully opened itself.

"Well, now I'll see just how potent the Espers are…"

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, with a serious report from their reconnaissance mission, Seth must now leave the castle for a solo mission into enemy territory. With Sith and Cyd unable to help, Seth tells Atemu that he needs Mahaado and Karim in order to defend, and Seth's only ally appears to be Sceppiro. Will Sceppiro's power of illusion be enough to help him fool Rath and her army? Is Bakura indeed the prisoner in Rath's new kingdom? Can Seth even succeed in getting into the gate at all? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	14. Sneaking around a Desert Wonderland

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he doesn't approve of Bakura being kidnapped. He says that's overly cruel irony.

Bakura weakly opened his eyes, not knowing exactly where he currently was. He knew he had been kidnapped, and he knew blood was dripping off of his back and arms, but other than that, everything seemed so blurry. The last thing he remembered was trying to help Atemu and Sith before… before Ultima had hit them. Now, he realized with terror that he might be the sole survivor of another catastrophic event. His eyes bolted open finally, and glancing around, he saw that the room he was in was quite dark, and he was hanging from chains. His cloak had been removed; only his skirt and shoes remained of his clothing. All of his jewels were taken.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around frantically, "Pharaoh? Sith? Are either of you here!?" He called their names a few times, but it quickly became obvious that neither of them were with him. He strained his eyes to see in the dark, but the only things he could make out where the chains holding him to the wall.

"Damn it all, where the hell was I taken to!?" Bakura shouted, half-demanding an answer from an unseen person. He hung his head when he received nothing. He heard a screech from a bird outside, as if to mock him for his imprisonment, but nothing else sounded. His eyes narrowed. Wherever he had landed, he had to escape. He had to find everyone; to make sure they were all right. In actuality, he didn't care for many of them, but if he wanted to remain on Sith's good side, he had to help _everyone_.

"Let's see… I remember… Atemu… was trying to protect her… the priests were trying to flee… but," Bakura shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind, "Damn it, I remember nothing else. Are they alive!?" He stared into the darkness, but he never expected to receive any sort of acknowledgement. A harsh laugh sounded, and out of the shadows strode a beautiful woman Bakura barely recognized. He had seen her before… but where?

"Yes, your friends are quite alive," she replied calmly, walking up to him, "And quite a nuisance as well. It seems that your pharaoh sent his priests to spy on the Leone Mattoun brigade, and that little rat of a cousin found your spirit-servant. Such intolerances must be eliminated." Bakura blinked, for a second not remembering who his spirit was. And then, it hit him. They had gotten Diabound! That relieved him, though he had no way of using the monster himself now.

"Sith summoned Diabound? She used my gift?" Bakura asked, grinning as he realized that she had, "Yes! I knew it'd come in handy!" The woman chuckled, shaking her head.

"You've no true idea of where you are, do you?" she asked, and when Bakura gave her a quizzical look, she replied with, "I'm sure my cousins have said enough about me. I am Rath Winchester." Bakura stopped grinning, and narrowed his eyes. He remembered everything he had been told of her, and every emotion Sith had displayed when her name was brought up. Now, he wasn't happy at all that he was alone.

"I remember you. I remember you blowing us to pieces with Ultima," Bakura growled, "What do you want with me? Why did you take only me?"

"I need a servant of my own to take down those blasted relatives of mine. The ones who have cast me away simply because I do not share the belief that humans are meant to be our equals," Rath replied, smiling slyly at Bakura. The thief clenched his teeth.

"I would never serve you!" Bakura spat, "I might be a rogue, but even _I_ have boundaries! And if you think my not having Diabound will stop me, think again!" Rath looked at him critically, and then laughed. She laughed so hard, her features seemed to almost break with the amusement she displayed. Bakura emitted another growl.

"My lovely boy, you have no choice in this matter!" Rath exclaimed, and in a much darker tone, remarked, "Now submit to me and your pain will be minimal." Bakura spat on her, and she took out a whip, slashing him on the arm with it. He screamed in pain, and that scream echoed throughout the entire citadel of what used to be Aeroglyph. Another scream shortly followed…

---

Atemu, his knight, and his priests all stood in the audience chamber, awaiting for Sceppiro and Seth to return, hopefully looking like an Esper. It had been nearly half an hour, but no one dared go in to check on them in case they broke Sceppiro's concentration. Atemu himself glanced at Sith, noticing the distant look in her eyes, and he felt worried for her. Her mind was occupied, and he could only guess with what.

"Sith, are you all right?" he asked gently, snapping Sith out of whatever thoughts she had, "You've been quiet. What worries you?" Sith looked away for a minute before responding.

"It is of Bakura's fate, sir," she replied calmly, and Atemu sighed, "I cannot help but worry! He has been gone for some time, and without clue as to where. We have our guesses, and they are probable, but what if he isn't with Rath? I… I wish I could see where he had ended up…" Atemu's lips thinned, hearing how sad this made his knight. He himself had his own worries for the thief, but he didn't feel the same regret as Sith had. Quietly, he patted her back.

"Sith, whatever befell Bakura couldn't be avoided," Atemu replied, "We all saw the look she had given him. She planned on taking him the moment she saw him. Why, we don't want to know, but we will get him back with us. I promise this. You needn't worry of him so much." Sith gave a weak smile, glancing at Atemu as he spoke. She nodded gratefully, but one question still remained.

"But he isn't your friend," she stated truthfully, "You only sided with him to find us. Why… would you go to the lengths you are?" Atemu chuckled, surprised to hear her question his decision. But, he didn't actually blame her. His dislike of the thief, and vice versa, were no secret in the desert.

"While this is true, he _is_ _your_ friend," Atemu replied, smiling back at her, "And you do care about him. In my own way, I owe him for helping me find you all." Sith nodded again, and immediately dropped the subject at that point, for they soon heard Seth screaming from the chamber beyond. Mahaado nearly jumped from the sound, and Sith's ears lowered.

"_WHAT IN HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?_" came Seth's shrill, loud scream as he burst out of the chamber and into the room where everyone stood. Sith looked, and at first, could barely believe what had been done to him. She hardly recognized him; only his hair and his eyes gave any true indication of who he was. His skin had grown to a blue tint, his ears sharpened into a cat-like shape very much like hers, only not as large. A tail had sprouted from his back, small, but winding around his left leg. Two small, blue wings sprouted from his back, and on his face were markings across his cheeks. Two fins grew just under his neck. And lastly, his robes had been replaced with a black full-body suit. Two silver armored pads adorned his shoulders.

"Priest Seth? Is that… you?" Mahaado asked, eyes widened with shock. Seth looked from his attired to Mahaado, eye twitching as he nodded. Obviously, he didn't approve of the transformation. Mahaado gasped again, truly unable to believe that the creature standing before him was once human.

"As much as it pains me to say, I'm indeed here, Priest Mahaado," Seth mumbled, "I look like a fool."

"You look convincing enough," Sith said shortly, walking up to Seth and examining her brother's spell, "If I didn't know it was you, I would call you quite handsome by Esper standards. Sceppiro did a good job." Seth nodded, but didn't smile on the compliment given. He turned to Atemu, who had raised an amused eyebrow.

"I'll be departing shortly, my pharaoh," Seth said, bowing, "Remind me once more on my objectives? Surely it's only to find information?" Atemu nodded, glancing at Sith, who returned to her post by his side.

"Yes. You are to see what they are planning in, and for, Aeroglyph. But do not initiate an attack. If you are caught, run immediately," Atemu said sternly, and at another glance to Sith, he added, "And if you can, rescue Bakura as well." Seth looked up into Atemu's face, to see if the king may have been joking. But he looked grave as ever. Such a look made Seth snort, causing everyone to glare at him.

"Priest Seth! How dare you laugh in our pharaoh's face!" Saimun exclaimed furiously, as Cyd shook his head with disapproval at the young priest, "Do you not know better than to take his orders lightly?" Seth smiled slyly, seeing just how upset one reaction made Atemu's court. He laughed again.

"I'm sorry for the disrespect. There was none intended," Seth said calmly, "But I'm quite sure I heard you wrong, my pharaoh. Did you honestly tell me to rescue the king of thieves? Surely not!" Sith looked at Atemu seriously, her hand quivering on her sword as if waiting to draw it. He nodded and returned his look to Seth.

"You heard quite right, Seth," Atemu stated, leaning back in the throne, "For now, he is a friend and an ally. And within Rath's hands, he is a deadly opponent. We must have him back here, if not, then back in Egypt as a whole. Is that understood?" Seth blinked, and his grin faded. Atemu sounded quite clear, and if he didn't obey to the best of his abilities, he would be punished. Instead of arguing further, he simply nodded and said, "Yes, my king." He turned to leave, but once more, Sith stopped him. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he said, "Yes, Knight?"

"How do you plan to enter?" Sith asked, "I do not think the front entrance is overall safe, though I did hand you a key in case. Do you have means of transport? No doubt, she has closed the Lion's Gate." As a matter of fact for her, Seth had considered that. He smiled, leaning against the door. His plan had been to set forth and look for the Leone Mattoun brigade, which he doubted left Egypt already. He would sneak into one of their caravans and get into the floating continent that way. When he presented the idea to Sith, however, she didn't seem to approve of it.

"Is something wrong, Knight?" he inquired, noticing her hesitation to reply.

"This plan… it is risky, Seth," Sith replied, crossing her arms, "I cannot say I necessarily approve, but it's clear you feel strongly that it will succeed. I won't stop you. But I have a word of advice: Do not wait for darkness. They will be most alert the darker the sky becomes. They expect an assault at night, for they think us to be cowards. Do you… understand this?" Seth nodded. She was telling him that he could neither take too long, nor could he do anything if he came to them too late into the night. Sith smiled, clapped him on the back, and then returned once again to Atemu's side. Seth left for good this time. It took his little time to cross out of the palace, through the courtyard, and into the town. It was busy, for it was still just after noon, but the townspeople silenced themselves when they saw Seth approaching from the palace, only to pass them unnoticed. Within short minutes, he reached the gates that would inevitably lead him into the desert.

"Sir! We cannot allow you to pass!" one of the guards exclaimed as Seth came up to him. Seth narrowed his eyes, sourly tiring of their constant blockading of the gate.

"Official business of the pharaoh," Seth growled, "Now move." The guard looked at the men behind him, but they seemed just as unwilling to let Seth pass. He sighed, and slowly opened the gate up. As Seth passed, he called to the priest, who reluctantly turned to acknowledge the call.

"Sir, is there any assistance we may give you?" the guard called. Seth took a minute to consider the question, and then nodded.

"Have you any information on a group by the name of the Leone Mattoun Brigade?" Seth asked. The guard blinked, raising a skeptical brow. He shook his head, and then looked once again to the men behind him. Only one of them nodded, and as he stood up, Seth gestured for him to simply speak.

"I believe a group of rogue Espers were seen by the Nile with that name, sir," the guard said, "They've taken temporary residence near there. Reports say they've been packing to leave earlier today, though."

"How long do such preparations usually take?" Seth inquired, this time raising a concerned brow. That was no good news by any standards. That meant he had little time to waste before his easiest chance of breaking into the fortress was gone.

"Shouldn't be more than a day, sir," the guard replied, "But… HEY! Sir! Sir, I'm not done yet!" By that time, Seth was already running. He had the information he needed; he only prayed that the brigade was no fast packer. The Nile thankfully wasn't more than a few miles away. He hadn't bothered with a horse, as that would arouse notice, but he was a fast runner, and he did know a few spells that might be of help. But even so, none of that reassured him.

"I wish someone had told me they were planning to leave," Seth mumbled, as he scrambled across the barren desert, the sun beating down on the warm sands like a mallet on a rock, "If I miss them and head back, I'm dead. There's no way I'll be forgiven for this mistake. It's only ironic that it wouldn't actually have been my fault." Seth snorted with mock amusement, finding his situation ironic itself. He never approved of danger, yet he somehow threw himself right into it. Was it guilt, because he had caused so much trouble to begin with? He didn't know, but he _had_ grown a bit of a respect for both Bakura and Sith, both of whom were unwillingly dragged into his problem, which was that he had lied at all. Maybe it _was_ guilt.

"Even so, I'll be more bitter once I'm dancing with death," Seth told himself, and cursed when he tripped on a stone. He expected a crash, but he never fall fully on his face as he shut his eyes, waiting for the pain. When it never came, he slowly opened one eye, and saw that he was hovering above the sand. Thrusting both eyes opened, he couldn't believe it! He was flying! He heard a beat of wings, and turning his head, saw that it was from his own temporary wings. Despite their tiny size, he was aloft.

"_YES_!" he cried, grinning with pride, "Looks like the spell was better than to just conceal my appearance! This will be no problem!" Delighted with his new set of wings, Seth sped off, intent on getting to the Nile. His speed was incredible, but his control over his wings needed work. He tumbled and rolled aimlessly every time a gust of warm wind kicked at him, and sometimes he feared he spent more time fumbling than actually getting forward. But, the Nile soon came into view. Its silvery surface glinted under the sun, but what truly caught Seth's eyes was the group gathered at its edge. Four mechanical transport carriers were stationed, and as silently as he could, Seth landed behind one. He recognized the Espers there; they were the ones he had seen previously that day. He had made it, and by the looks and sounds of things, he had done so just in time.

"Sir, nearly all preparations for departure are complete," one Esper said gruffly, his fluffy plume of a tail billowing in the wind, "Do we leave soon?" The commander in charge, whom Seth saw to be Ruon again, stood up and nodded, clapping the soldier on the shoulder. The soldier growled in displeasure, his wolf-like ears lowering, but Ruon seemed to ignore him.

"Yes. We must. Rath has commanded it," Ruon replied, "…Vanargand, I know you have trepidation of attacking Egypt. Rest assured, your father is unharmed." The wolf, Vanargand, looked away. Seth blinked. He had heard the name before.

"This isn't about my father," the wolf growled, "This is about us all, Ruon. This is quite wrong. Espers have been in peace with Egypt, and with humans, for centuries. Why must we break such a bond now? Lady Sith has worked so hard so we may visit this land undisturbed. We are ruining our princess's efforts!" Ruon looked down. He had thought of that very much during their trip to the Nile, but his orders were his orders. The alternative was nothing he or his men could bring themselves to think of.

"I know, Vanargand. But we've little choice. Aeroglyph will be in ruins if we don't take the proper side," Ruon told him sternly, "Lady Sith and King Sceppiro fled after the previous attack. We haven't seen them since Rath used Ultima. I do not think they're alive. This… this is to spare all remaining Espers." Seth's eyes widened. _That_ had to be why so many Espers attacked them! Rath must've threatened them… or lied to them. Not one of them saw or heard Sith or Sceppiro on the ship, save for Rath. He wanted to tell them the truth, but that could mean suicide. He had no true idea of where their loyalties actually lie. Vanargand huffed, his tail whipping.

"I do not believe Lady Sith to be dead," he stated angrily, "I want to join her side. I want Aeroglyph to be filled with beauty and nature again. Not the gray shroud of misery it's become. Ruon, can we not ask the pharaoh for help? We can explain the Kraken away. It was no threat; it did no one harm." Ruon's lips thinned. He wanted nothing more than what his friend wished as well, but he couldn't defy Rath. Not now. Seth mentally took note of their hesitance to even return. He'd have to report this.

"…we will talk of this later, Vanargand," the commander finally said sternly, turning to another Esper, "Onkomund, is everything locked and set?" The Esper in question, to which Seth thought looked more of an orc than an Esper, nodded, grunting as he set his spear down.

"Yes, sir. All compartments and vehicles have been locked," he replied, in an amazingly eloquent tone, "Not even a mouse can get inside." Ruon nodded, but Seth, who was still well hidden, nearly yelped with displeasure. He'd have to find another way in, and he was running very poorly on time. He glanced around, and his eyes set on a younger target. As the Espers continued to talk and discuss of their departure, Seth slowly advanced on his target, who was sharpening a sword at the moment.

"I sure hope Vanargand's right about Lady Sith being alive," he said to himself cheerfully, "I really miss her. The palace wasn't the same after she left for good. Well, Leon, maybe we'll go directly into the pharaoh's courtroom next time! Maybe…" The poor Esper never finished his sentence, as Seth slammed him on the head with the Millennium Rod, rendering him unconscious. The other Espers noticed the large thud, and Seth dragged Leon away to a secluded spot, where he immediately pilfered the armor, snapping it all on his body. Soon enough, he looked exactly as Leon had, save for being just a bit taller. Hopefully, no one would notice.

"Leon, are you all right over there!?" Another Esper called. Seth nearly jumped. He had to sound like Leon, and judging from the dialogue the boy had with himself, that was going to be difficult. His voice was much higher than Seth's. Seth cleared his throat, running out to where the others were.

"Yes, sir! Just fine, sir!" Seth said cheerfully, sickening himself with his voice, "Just sharpening my sword, sir!" All of the Espers looked at him suspiciously, Ruon being the most amused. Either they saw right through Seth, or they thought Leon was more hyper than usual.

"And where _is_ your sword, Leon?" Ruon asked, glancing around. No signs of a weapon were visible, and Seth silently cursed. The only things he hadn't taken from Leon was the boy's clothing and that blasted sword! His eye twitched as his brain raced for an excuse, or a lie, whichever would be most believable.

"Oh! Um… well," Seth looked over at the river, and only a shroud of an idea came to him, "I accidentally dropped it into the river, sir! But no worries, right? I can just fish it out!" He prayed Ruon believed this, and as the older Esper looked down at him skeptically, he did seem to be considering the lie very carefully. Finally, he shook his head, turning to the vehicles.

"There is no time for that, Leon," Ruon said simply, "I'm afraid your clumsiness cost you a weapon this time. You'll need to wait until we head back to Aeroglyph until you get another weapon. Now let's get into the vessels and leave before any of the pharaoh's guards come and attack." Seth blinked. That seemed a bit too hasty for his comfort, and he looked as Vanargand and a few other Espers climbed onto one of the vehicles. They didn't question the order. Were they used to such hasty decisions?

"We're going back right now?" Seth asked, careful to make sure his voice didn't betray him, "But what about Lady Sith?" Ruon stopped and looked back at him, raising a nervous brow.

"Yes, boy, we're going back now. We've been recalled," he said sternly, ushering for Seth to enter his vehicle, "As for Lady Sith, I'm afraid there's naught we can do for her. If she's even alive at this point. And if she is, she'll do best to avoid us now. Rath wants her dead." Seth gulped as he climbed into the vehicle, where Ruon closed the door as soon as he was inside. That wasn't good news for Sith at all, and suddenly, Seth found himself worrying about everyone at the palace. So far, everyone assumed Sith and Sceppiro to be dead, but what would happen if it was discovered they were alive? Seth had no answer, and he was afraid to find one as the vehicle slowly rumbled forward, gaining speed as it traversed the sand. He said nothing to anyone as they continued onward, simply contenting himself with looking out of the window. There was little change in scenery, but around three hours into the journey, he saw the floating cliff faces of Nesce in the distance, and suddenly, the vehicles lurched and began to hover off the ground. Seth shivered.

"Looks like we'll be in Aeroglyph within a few moments' time," Vanargand commented, looking at the slowly setting sun, its disc becoming a rich orange, "Leon, you've been quiet. Is everything all right?" Seth blinked, nearly forgetting _he_ was Leon to them. He nodded.

"Yeah. I'm just wondering if Lady Sith is alive or not," Seth replied, and when Vanargand and Ruon both gave him odd stares, he added, "I mean, I miss her. Aeroglyph used to be so different when she was with us." Ruon nodded, and Vanargand simply huffed, crossing his wolfish arms.

"We all wish she were with us now, Leon, but these are dangerous times for her," Vanargand said, "If she is alive, she's doing wise by avoiding us all and hiding with the pharaoh. Trust us when we say we're on her side, not Rath's." Seth blinked. That sounded ominous, as though they were actually speaking to _him_ instead of who they thought was their fellow soldier. He decided to exploit that as they began flying over Nesce, toward the center where the capital lay.

"Wait, we don't support Rath?" Seth asked, playing dumb to make it all the more believable, "So then why are we going back to her? Why not look for Lady Sith?"

"We need to make this believable, Leon," Ruon said sternly, "If Rath even suspects that we might be working against her, we're dead. I didn't want to insult the pharaoh or his men, but she listens in on our converse. We need to keep her fooled until we can confirm Lady Sith and King Sceppiro are alive. And to do _that_, we need to speak to her prisoner. He was with Lady Sith on that ship." Seth's eyes widened. That confirmed one of the very first questions they had wanted answered since Rath blew their ship apart. The prisoner _had_ to be Bakura!

"Who's the prisoner?" Seth asked. Ruon looked out the window, watching as the vehicle slowly made a landing within the courtyard. Seth saw that, as Vanargand had said, Aeroglyph was covered in a gray shroud. What had at first been simple decay was turned into a swarming mist of misery among the capital. Beforehand, there was still a level of beauty to the decimated slum. Now, it was hopeless. As the door to the vehicle opened, permitting them to climb out, Ruon answered Seth.

"A thief named Bakura," he replied, as they walked up the stone path toward the entrance of the crystal palace, "We know he knows where Lady Sith is. But we can't talk to him without arousing suspicion. I was sort of hoping we'd catch one of the pharaoh's top men out in the desert while we pretended to be tending to the Kraken, but they never ended up showing. I'd thought that if I got one of them to help us, they could talk to Bakura for us, and ask about our true rulers." Seth blinked. This made no sense, who these Espers were actually trying to help, but they certainly weren't on Rath's side at all. Seth stopped moving, and Ruon stopped with him, a questioning look on the Esper's face as he asked, "Why are we stopping?"

"Because I've been hiding a lie myself," Seth replied, "And I think it's best that I unfold it." He took off the helmet he was wearing to show his true face, and Ruon gasped. His voice was so shocked that it caused Vanargand and the others to stop as well, all of whom gasped in shock.

"Who are you, and where is Leon!?" one Esper demanded. Seth laughed, and shook his head.

"I'm Priest Seth, of the Pharaoh's Court. I work directly with Sith," he replied, "As for Leon… well, I met him on the road. He asked me to cover for him. He wanted to see Sith for himself. I agreed. I didn't mean to fool you, but this worked to both our advantages." Ruon blinked. He didn't know if that was the truth, but he did know his wish was answered. Seth expected a scream, but instead, he received smiles all around as Ruon clapped him on the back.

"A fine jest, boy," Ruon said, laughing, "You fooled us well. We don't want details, but if you're truly working with Lady Sith, we want to help you. Why did you decide to help Leon, though? Did Lady Sith send you here?"

"Not directly, but she told me how to get into the palace with her key," Seth replied, taking out the key Sith had given him prior to his departure. Ruon gasped, taking the key and looking at it. It was definitely of the royal family.

"She… she gave this to you?" he gasped, and when Seth nodded, he asked, "Is our princess well? Is she alive? Does she plan to stop Rath?"

"Yes to all of those," Seth replied, crossing his arms, "Right now, she's working with the pharaoh to fend off the attack that may be mounted on Egypt. They sent _me_ to bring back information and that thief, Bakura, but it appears I'll be going back much sooner than they expect if you want to help me." Ruon nodded, still unable to believe that they had just gotten what they needed. He handed the key back to Seth, who pocketed it.

"And we do, but even with us, you'll still need to be careful," Ruon replied, "Many Espers are still on Rath's side because they do not know Lady Sith still lives, and that there is still hope for peace with humans. Now, our first obstacle is getting you inside. Vanargand and I can manage the guards while you run in with the rest of the brigade, but after that, you may very well have to go it alone while we continue our own charade." Seth considered this very carefully as the Espers awaited his approval. Finally, he nodded. That was more than he could've asked from them, and he was grateful they were even willing to listen to him. He'd have to tell Sith all of this as soon as he went back.

"All right. That will work," Seth said, "Just get me inside. I'll figure out the rest from in there." Vanargand and Ruon both nodded, and the entire brigade walked up to the palace doors, which were guarded by two very large snakes. They both hissed, but Ruon held up a hand.

"Terrato, Jormungand, calm down," Ruon said calmly, "We're here on recall. Let us pass." The snakes looked at each other, and then one of them turned back to Ruon, though which one, Seth couldn't tell just yet.

"And why would you be recalled?" the snake, who Ruon addressed as Terrato asked, "You had a specific mission to contend with the Kraken…" As Terrato and Ruon spoke, the doors of the palace opened, and Seth ran in with the rest of the brigade. He could still hear Ruon and Terrato arguing, even as the doors swung shut again, making it difficult to see in the palace. There was no light; none of the crystals that usually gave off the light seemed to be working. Seth blinked, trying to see where everyone had gone, but all he saw was Vanargand, who pointed to a side chamber and dragged Seth other.

"We've no time to waste, sir," he growled lowly, so no one but Seth could hear him, "The rest of the brigade is heading back to their bunks, and I have little time before my absence is known and alerted to. Take this shaft upwards. It goes from the kitchen below all the way into the observatory, which is currently being used to hole up the prisoner. Take this key," Vanargand handed Seth another large key, "And unlock the prisoner's shackles. Then get him out, and report back to Lady Sith. Tell her all you've learned, and that Rath is going to attack soon. Remember this, and make haste." Seth blinked, surprised at how fast Vanargand was relaying a plan to him. Had they planned this all along, and had _he_ been the pawn in _their_ plans? He didn't know, but he forced that question away as he nodded, pocketing the key.

"Of course. Thank you…?" Seth looked around, suddenly noticing that Vanargand was gone, "…well, I suppose that was it then." Shaking his head, Seth opened up the chamber door. He was blasted with cold air as the shaft opened up. There was no platform for him to use, and he grabbed the rope in the shaft. It was sturdy, but he didn't know how long that would stay. Praying that it would be long enough, he clambered into the shaft and pulled himself upward. The shaft smelled, and it was cold and damp, but Seth didn't comment. He couldn't risk detection. He silently continued on, remembering the small portion of layout Vanargand was kind enough to give. If he simply went up, he'd be outside of the prisoner's room, or so he hoped. As he thought of this, he didn't realize how far he had climbed, but abruptly, the shaft just ended. He could go no further. Seeing a slit of light, Seth knew he was near another compartment door, and wrenched it open, tumbling forward as he did and landing in a heap in a hallway. He looked around, realizing he wasn't in an observatory. He was near the west wing bedrooms!

"…Observatory my foot!" he hissed to himself, "Either that Esper is blind or someone closed up the shaft. My guess is the latter, though the former is more humorous." He snickered as he considered that, and then realized that he heard voices in another room as well, and they seemed to have heard him, for a door opened up just down the hall. Seth threw himself into the nearest hiding place he could, which unknown to him, was a large laundry basket filled with linen. He waited, and saw Rath come out, looking around.

"I know… I've heard something out here!" her shrill voice called, and Seth had to cover his ears. He didn't think anything could've surpassed Sith, but he stood corrected as Rath said, "If I catch one of you ingrates out of your post, you will die!" Then, she went back and slammed the door. Seth sighed. He couldn't move until Rath left. He was just thankful he had allies here, though he hoped he didn't run into anything else. For now, he'd have to stay in that laundry basket until Rath left the floor entirely. That was the safest route, and as Seth sat, all he could do was think of what transpired that day.

"I suppose it could've been much worse," he mused to himself, smirking, "I could've been spiked and roasted. I like this alternative much more." Sitting up, he brought his knees near his chest, resting his chin on them disinterestedly as he waited for his time.

"…I just hope she leaves soon. I'm already getting cramps from sitting like this."

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, now Seth will finally have his James Bond in Egypt moments as he secretly weaves his way around Aeroglyph's palace. But, can he find Bakura with Rath so close by? Can he trust his new allies, who swore to be working for Rath only to further their own wish to find Sith? And can Atemu defend Egypt while Seth is on enemy territory? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	15. Into the Citadel

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he doesn't think Seth would ever make a decent secret agent. I agree with that.

Unfortunately for Seth, waiting for Rath to leave the third floor seemed about as likely to happen as a tornado sparing one house out of millions, for an eternity seemed to stretch on as he sat in that laundry pile, crouching to remain hidden amongst the dirty linens. He could hear her speaking, but to whom was something he didn't know. He knew it wasn't Bakura, for his accent wasn't right, whoever Rath was talking to. Seth groaned angrily, wishing that she'd hurry up, but she was already on alert to someone's presence. Finally, she opened the door, though she didn't step out just yet, and Seth was too smart to peek over the linens to see what was happening. He waited silently.

"…and then we'll attack Egypt with this weapon. It's just a pity my uncle couldn't finish it before he fled," Rath said, as another woman stepped out with her. This woman was tall, with a billowing blue gown that rippled like water. Her red hair fell to the floor, and her eyes, slitted as a snake's, glanced around the hallway before speaking.

"It's of no matter, Lord Rath," she hissed, "My men can complete it in due time. But, what of Lady Sith? She poses the highest threat; everyone is becoming aware that she isn't yet deceased." Rath's ears lowered and she growled with displeasure. She knew of her men's lack of loyalty to her, but there was nothing she could do; she needed them. Deciding to ignore that, she smiled.

"For now, we ignore her," Rath replied, "There is nothing she can do; That blasted pharaoh requires her by his side. Likewise, we can't harm her, but in due time, she will be annihilated along with Egypt. It's the price she pays for siding with humans." The other woman sighed, shaking her head. It was obvious there was something in Rath's plan that she disagreed with.

"Lord Rath, can we not use her to power up the machine?" she asked, but a quick glare from Rath silenced her.

"You are a fool, Katsaiga!" she exclaimed, "She is of Winchester blood! The machine would turn on me if we harmed her! No, we need another source. Luckily, I have one; a thief that worked in unison with my cousin. He has his magic… and no use by which to exercise it with. He is like a free sample of power. For now, we'll experiment on him."

"But he is human, Lord Rath. How can he have magic?" Katsaiga asked her master, narrowing her eyes skeptically, "He is not half-Esper, is he?"

"No, but he has magic, and I refuse to let a human waste it," Rath replied, "Now come. I wish to see this machine." Katsaiga nodded, and the two women rushed down the hallway. Seth heard them climbing down the stairs, and then… silence. They were gone, and he was alone. Quickly, he climbed out of the basket, landing on the floor in a heap. What he heard was worrying; Bakura was in a lot of trouble, and if he didn't find the thief soon, he might very well be dead by nightfall. Glancing around, Seth dashed to the room Rath had just exited, and ran inside. It was an office of some sort… but one item alerted him that it was Cydandilus's room; a large spear with his name engraved upon it. Either Rath ignored it, or hadn't had time to take it down. Narrowing his eyes, Seth ran to the desk and emptied all of the drawers. He had to help Bakura, but any information he could get on the machine would save the palace of Egypt _later_, and unfortunately for Bakura, that was Seth's primary mission.

"Damn that woman," Seth growled, shifting through papers, "We need some time before she attacks, but she sounds in a hurry. I just hope that thief's alive. Sith might actually kill me if I screw up… aha!" Seth found a whole report Cyd had written about the mentioned weapon, and grinning, he put it inside of his suit, closing the drawers. He had to make it so that it appeared no one had entered at all. When he finished, he slipped into the hall again, and silently tread it in case someone happened across him. The hallway winded and twisted, and the walls didn't reflect any crystal light from within. He realized Rath had physically altered the interior; it was made of stone, not crystal as when he first came here. He knew Sith would be infuriated to hear of that.

"I just hope the stairs are close. Bakura should be up the next floor, if what that Esper said was true," Seth said to himself, as he continued along the halls. For minutes, he continued in the dark, not knowing or caring where he actually was going. Twice, he nearly tripped on loose cobble, and twice, he cursed Rath for what she did to the icy fortress, but finally, he came to an area spilled with soft torch light. A second later, he saw a stairwell leading upwards. He grinned again. That _had_ to be where Bakura was being kept. Quietly, he ran up the stairs, coming face-to-face with a door. Using Sith's key, he found it swung open, and indeed, led to the observatory. The chamber was lit, and he saw Bakura chained to a wall, blood dripping off of him, but as Seth walked, he soon hit a wall of solid air.

"Damn this!" he yelled, and pounded on the glass, "Bakura! Bakura!! Look over here, you moron!" Unfortunately, the glass blocked all source of sound, at least from the outside inwards. Bakura didn't appear to have heard Seth as he continued to mumble to himself, his eyes dimmed. Seth frowned. He could see Bakura was shaking, and had grown paler from the amount of blood he lost. He also heard whatever it was Bakura was saying.

"Don't hurt Sith… don't hurt my Sith," he mumbled, his eye twitching as he spoke, "Don't care about me… don't attack… palace… not Sith…" Seth's eyes watered. He felt pity for the thief. It was obvious that Rath beat the poor man up a bit before her meeting with her underling. Seth closed his eyes, focusing his magic on anything he could think that would shatter glass, and unleashed it within the minute. Lightning sprayed from his body, but didn't destroy the invisible barrier. He cursed.

"Geh! I'll need to find an alternative…" he growled, and looked around the small hallway. There was nothing there, however, and he knew he'd have to backtrack. It made him all the more annoyed to have to do so. Sighing, he left the observatory and went back down the stairs onto the third floor. Seeing as how there had been nothing on the East wing, where he had climbed the shaft to, he set down toward the West wing, where the bedrooms sat. Many of the rooms were turned into cold, dungeon-like offices, and each one he passed made Seth shiver as he looked into each room. They all looked the same; he didn't know which one was Sith's anymore, not that she'd have anything to help him here anyway. Finally, though, he stopped at a large, gray vent. He felt warm air coming out of it, and glancing around his shoulder to see if anyone had followed, he grinned and pulled on the grate. At first, it didn't budge, but his superior Esper strength pulled through, and soon the grate had been ripped off the vent, clashing loudly onto the ground.

"Damn it!" Seth hissed at himself, "We're going to be caught if I keep making all this noise!" Deciding it best not to stick around for any longer than necessary, Seth crawled into the vents. It was dark, but a quick spell cast a soft light around Seth; though once he saw the walls, he wished he kept it dark. The walls were coated with grease, and smelled strongly of vomit, though he was sure that wasn't what it actually was. He could hear water dripping, and though his stomach turned with the thought of actually moving forward, he forced himself to go on. Slowly, ever so slowly, he crawled through the vents, careful not to make any noise as he continued along. When he did stop, just minutes after, it was only because he heard Rath again. He was on top of another grate, which was above the audience chamber far below. He looked down.

"It's beautiful, Katsaiga!" she exclaimed, her eyes glinting with greed, "You have patched this well! Oh, my uncle would be so pleased… except that we're destroying his homeland with this beautiful weapon." Seth's eyes narrowed. The weapon looked like a very, very large cannon, but there were crystals all around it, each crystal giving off colored lightning as it fed into the cannon's engine. The sight scared Seth, and he began to wonder just what sort of damage the cannon would do. He didn't want to find out.

"It should be charged within the hour, Lord Rath," Katsaiga said, "Is the prisoner ready?" Rath chuckled, and grinned. Seth didn't like that look.

"He has been subdued. I will fetch him," Rath replied. Seth cursed. He had to find Bakura, and he had to find him _now_. Wasting no more time, Seth scrambled through the vents, taking any path leading upward. The Observatory took all of the fourth floor; any path leading upwards would open up into it eventually. But, by Ra, the crawl seemed so slow to Seth, as he began a soft ascent up a sloping vent. It seemed as though every minute was being dragged out, as though every heartbeat he had lasted an eternity. Only a shrill scream below sounded his attention, and as he looked through another grate, he saw he was near the Observatory stairs again, but on the other side from which he had started. Rath was on the other side of the grate; the shadows hid Seth perfectly, though.

"I nearly forgot the Observatory key!" she exclaimed, and then left for another room farther away. Seth sighed, relieved that she was gone. He found another sloping vent, and climbed it. Now, he could hear Bakura again, who was still mumbling to himself about something. Seth shook his head. Bakura was in a lot of pain, and he hoped the thief could hang on just a bit more. But the climb seemed to continue on, with no end in sight. Seth was getting incredibly frustrated, and hoped Sith didn't expect him back that night. It felt like years had passed, and then centuries until he finally, _finally_ came to the grate on the other end. It opened up into the observatory. Grinning, Seth kicked the grate down, where it clattered onto the marble floor. He clambered out, and nearly gasped. The observatory had looked beautiful just a day before. But now… it looked like the most terrifying torture chamber he had ever seen or read of.

"Who's there!?" Bakura demanded, the noise from the grate snapping him out of his trance. Seth blinked, and then looked to his left. Bakura was still chained on the wall, looking around frantically as he said, "Are you Rath!?"

"No, Bakura. It's me, Seth," Seth replied calmly, deciding that yelling at the thief wouldn't help matters at all, "Sith sent me." Bakura stopped struggling and simply smiled. That must have brought his spirits up to endless heights.

"Knight Sith actually sent for me to escape?" he asked, "…I… I'm touched! How is she? Is she all right? Does she have Diabound with her?"

"She's fine, and yes, she has Diabound," Seth stated, getting slightly annoyed, "But forget about her for now. We need to get out of here. Rath's coming back up. She's going to take you and use your energy for some weapon that she's firing at the palace." Bakura blinked, not sure he had processed that correctly, but he understood they were in danger. He nodded, and with his head, jerked toward the desk.

"Rath put the key to my chains in there," Bakura told him grimly, "She unchained me… and I kicked her, so she simply chained me back up. If you get me down, I'll blow the bitch apart." Seth laughed, not actually sure Bakura could really do that in his current condition, but he ran to the desk and quickly upturned all of the drawers. Papers and small tools scattered across the floor as he worked, but finally, he found the key. It clanked onto the floor, and like Sith's key, it was long and silver. However, instead of the Crest of Aeroglyph on it, it had a globe. It wasn't originally for Bakura's chains. Taking the key, Seth thrust it into one of the chains, but it didn't click open. Bakura glared down and asked, "What's the matter!?"

"It's this blasted key, thief," Seth growled, though his anger was directed to the key in question, "It doesn't appear to fit the lock!"

"That's impossible! It worked before!" Bakura exclaimed, though he kept his voice low in case Rath was close by. Seth tried again, but when the key snapped, he was forced to give up. He threw both pieces onto the ground.

"Either she switched the keys or she mutated it for you," Seth told him, throwing his arms up as he slumped to the floor, "Is there another way to break the chains?" Bakura's lips thinned. He didn't actually know if there was. He hadn't seen any crowbars, sticks, or poles they could use to snap the chains, and even if there were, magic would render such tools as useless. He sighed, wishing he could break out himself.

"I have no idea," he finally said grimly, "See if there's a knife or something you could use." Seth sighed, and forced himself off of the ground. He had to help Bakura, but this seemed unfairly difficult. He looked around where the desk stood, now in a heaping mess of drawers and scattered reports. Nothing was there that would help. The prong near the fireplace might do, but it looked rusted and old, as though it'd been sitting there long before either Sith or Sceppiro had been born. Finally, though, his eyes rested on a metal pole in the far right corner, hidden in half by thick shadows cast from the low-burning fire. That might just prove thick enough to help. Grinning, Seth walked over and picked up the pole. It was heavy, but serviceable.

"I think I found something," Seth replied, and walked back, showing Bakura the pole, "Will this work?" Bakura raised an eyebrow as he examined it. The pole was made of a metal ore not found in Egypt, or at least one he'd never seen. It was thick, and if he remembered, any type of metal rendered magic nearly useless.

"It should help," he said, "Just hurry it up. She's coming." Seth cursed, and slammed the pole into the chain clamping Bakura's left leg. It clanked, and another slam snapped it apart as it fell to the floor. Seth repeated it with the right leg, but when he got to Bakura's arms, those chains were much stronger. Rath obviously didn't want the thief to simply escape. He slammed the right arm chain a few time, but it refused to snap away. Finally, his strength began to give, as he was exhausted from the prospect of sneaking around through the citadel at all. When he panted, Bakura told him to stop.

"What kind of magic is this?" he asked the thief, though he didn't actually expect Bakura to know the answer. The thief sighed.

"One that I doubt even Sith's sword could break," he replied grimly, "Rath is serious. She wants revenge on Sith and her brother. But why capture me?" Seth had no answers, and as he opened his mouth to speak, the Observatory door opened. There stood Rath, with not one, but two underlings by her side. Seth recognized the one to the left as the woman, Katsaiga, who had given Rath her initial report. The second woman, slightly younger with a black cloak and brown hair, Seth didn't know. Rath took down the solid air wall, and smiled cruelly when she saw Seth.

"So _you_ are the one sneaking around behind my back!" she exclaimed, her cold eyes narrowing, "I must say, for a priest, you are quite the agent. I'm also surprised you lived through Ultima. I'm to assume my cousins are alive as well."

"Hopefully, they're working on a way to kill you as we speak," Seth replied bitterly, wishing now that someone had gone with him; there was no way he could stop three Espers, "But yes, they're alive. And they sent me to rescue this thief." Bakura snorted, obviously not pleased with his reference. Seth, however, ignored him as he kept his eyes solely on Rath. She didn't seem at all daunted by the news of her cousins' health.

"I'm sorry to say that you won't be fulfilling their orders," Rath stated darkly, "Those chains were fortified with magic coming from the ancient Runes left to us by the Esper gods. No mortal, Esper or not, can break it. Bakura isn't going anywhere." Seth growled. This made things just so much worse for them. Rath turned to her two subordinates and said, "Kill him." Katsaiga drew a long staff as the second woman held out her left arm, an orb shining in her palm. Seth closed his eyes, and suddenly threw out a Thunderstorm spell, something he didn't ordinarily do. The two women went flying into the walls, sliding to the floor uselessly. Bakura's eyes widened with such power.

"How the hell did you do that!?" he asked as Seth said, "…Esper magic! I forgot, Sceppiro turned me into an Esper for the while." He and Bakura both smiled at each other, and then both turned to Rath, evil grins on their faces.

"So, in another futile attempt Sceppiro placed some of his magic into you," Rath stated bitterly, "How interesting, but how useless at the same time. You won't…" Rath didn't finish as Bakura vanished, only to slam into her a moment later, his old binds clinging uselessly to the walls. She fell to the floor, screaming in shock, and immediately, Bakura took Seth's hand and dragged him out of the observatory as Rath screamed for anyone who would listen to stop them.

"How did you do that!?" Seth asked, as they ran down the stairs, as a loud rumble was heard, "You just escaped your bonds!"

"Don't know," Bakura wheezed as they ran, "Always happened. I've always escaped after a bit of time being chained up. But enough of that. The castle's changing again." Seth raised a brow, and then noticed the stairs were _moving_. And, they were going up like an escalator, despite how fast they were trying to run down. Everything indeed was shifting their shape, for reasons Seth couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was as though someone outside was rebuilding the castle.

"What do you mean _changing_!?" Seth demanded, as the stairs came to a shaky stop, forcing them to slow for fear of being thrown down, "Bakura, this castle changes!?"

"Not originally, but Rath's using some sort of magic to twist everything around," he replied, looking around the new tower they were currently standing in, "The palace originally had three floors. Now, it had four, but who knows what else she's added. My guess is, she doesn't want us escaping." As he ran down the stairs, with Seth following, the priest's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Anyone could've figured that out with how she sent her cronies after that. They ran down winding stair after winding stair, but it didn't seem that the stairs would ever end. Finally, they passed a window that overlooked not the continent as Seth expected, but the ocean. The castle was _flying away_.

"Does Sith know this can happen!?" he asked Bakura. The thief's lips pursed.

"If she does, then she forgot of it," he replied grimly, "We're in trouble. Unless you can teleport us, we're going to go swimming once we leave this place." Seth hated that; he barely knew how to float let alone swim across an ocean. But unless they wanted to wait for the citadel to fly over land, they had no choice. He sighed; it was obvious this was a new feature. He doubted Sith would hide this from him.

"We'll have to cross that bridge… or ocean… when we get to it," he said sternly, and they both continued running down the stairs again. Finally, after what felt like years of running, the stairway ended in a narrow, stone tunnel. Seth definitely didn't remember it as they ran through to get to another part of the ever-shifting palace, and because of the movements in the walls, they were forced to a very slow walk. Every rumble from the interior felt like an earthquake to both priest and thief as they scurried as fast as they could through the new halls. They encountered frightened soldiers and magicians as they ran, but no one gave them notice as they escaped.

"Do you think the front door's still in the same place?" Bakura asked through a gasp of breath as they went up a steep ramp that rounded into another hall. Seth shrugged. He had no idea what they should've been expecting. Finally, they came to a small room, and desperate for just a tiny rest, Seth dragged Bakura into it, closing the door. The single light on the table revealed it to be a bathroom, much to Seth's dismay. This little excursion was turning into a joke very quickly.

"It's hard to see why it would be considering the rest of the castle is playing Musical Chairs with us," Seth finally replied, his voice kept low to avoid detection, "This little trip is starting to really rank badly with me. Don't _you_ have anything that could help us?"

"Rath took everything away when she captured me," Bakura replied regretfully, "I suppose I could try and call Diabound, but he can't cross an ocean without help." Seth shook his head at that. Diabound would attract way too much attention. They had to be covert with this. But there was just too much confusion! And, with no way to actually use it to their advantage, they were as good as sitting ducks. Seth had considered pounding a few Espers for a suit of armor for Bakura, but then he realized people would still recognize _him_. He had a feeling that Sceppiro's spell was wearing off, anyway. Sighing, he slumped to the floor. There had to be something! Bakura looked at the toilets and asked, "What if we rip them apart and go through the sewers?"

"I've had enough of these sewers to last three lifetimes," Seth told him, waving the suggestion away, "If anything, we'll have to go through the outside…" Seth stopped, as he heard footprints right outside of the bathroom. An angry hiss followed, and Seth whispered, "What was that?" Bakura said nothing, but he shook his head as well, having no idea if they were followed or not. Both men prayed they weren't, but as they heard the speaker, they knew they had escaped by a hare's breath.

"Those scum said they saw our two guests run this way!" Rath exclaimed, "Where on earth _are_ they, Ruon!?" Seth blinked. This wasn't good; Ruon either double-crossed him or had been caught himself. The Esper in question puffed a bit, and Seth hoped neither thought had actually occurred.

"Sorry, Ma'am. I guess someone saw wrong," he replied casually, and Seth relaxed a bit, "I was simply told to inform you. But I didn't see a thing." Seth inwardly laughed. A false report surely made Rath all the more sour that day, though he did feel bad for all Espers who would be dealing with her from then on.

"Then do not come unless you have proof, you incompetent twit!" she scolded harshly, and then left the hall. Bakura cracked the door just a peek to see if she had actually left. Ruon passed, and gave him a wink, knowing fully that they had been hiding. Then, he too passed the bathroom. A moment of silence reigned in the tiny room until Bakura finally looked over at Seth and asked, "Should we go?" Seth hummed. They probably should've been running, but even then, they could get themselves lost. And if they were unable to hide in that instance, they would probably be killed. It was a hard choice, and finally, Seth forced himself to make it.

"Yes, let's get out of here," he said, getting up off of the marble ground. Bakura silently threw the door open, and outside, Espers were yelling and running as the citadel shifted again, shaking loose crystal shards and rocks as it did so. It was absolute chaos! Seth couldn't think of a worse state for the palace to be in, but at least no one would be focusing on them. He and Bakura slipped into the crowded hall, and weaved silently toward the end, where the banister now led toward the large staircase. Seth growled; the front door was right there, but everyone was blocking their way in! People pushed, shoved, rammed, and sometimes just stepped on everyone else in an attempt to flee, but no one seemed to realize that there was nowhere to run. He was about to just jump when someone screamed and said "_THERE THEY ARE! LORD RATH, I'VE FOUND THEM!_" Seth's eye twitched. He recognized the voice, and now aside from the servants and guards trying to run, Rath was coming toward them with men… or rather, women of her own.

"What do we do!?" Bakura asked him frantically, as he saw Rath coming toward them, pushing everyone else aside as she went, "She's coming!" Seth's frown deepened. He already anticipated that, and looked down the banister. It was a steep drop, but there was an alternative cushion below… though Seth did hate having to harm others to get where he needed. But unless he wanted to die, he had to. He grabbed Bakura's wrist, and turned them both to the banister.

"Jump," Seth said, and Bakura glared at him in complete and utter shock.

"…did you just say _JUMP_!?" the thief asked, but right then, Seth threw them both over the banister, which smashed under their combined weight. They fell down ten, twenty, thirty, and then forty feet before slamming into a crowd of people far below. Screams and whimpers sounded, but Seth ignored them as he dragged Bakura off the ground and toward the front door. He was vaguely aware that Rath was screaming orders to stop them, but either no one heard in the confusion, or no one wanted to listen to her. They made their way to the front doors and burst out of them, landing in the courtyard. Rath was close behind, but that didn't matter. Seth ran on until the courtyard abruptly ended, overlooking the vast ocean. His eyes widened.

"Don't tell me we're jumping that!" Bakura exclaimed, looking down as well, "We'll never make it!"

"We don't have a choice, thief," Seth grumbled, "Do you want to be killed, or do you want to go home?" Bakura's lips thinned. He _did_ want to get away from this place, but he doubted severely that they could survive such a plunge. But, as he saw out of the corner of his eye, Rath had already made it out of the front doors and was advancing toward them, with Ruon behind her. Seth and Bakura backed away as close as they could to the edge, and her grin grew, seeing that there was nowhere for them to actually run.

"You two should give up," she told them, "There is nowhere left for you to go."

"I'd rather die than go back with you!" Bakura exclaimed angrily, his fists clenching. Seth glanced at him, and then at Rath, who looked amused with the outburst. She snorted with amusement, and then shook her head.

"Why? Why go back to the losing side?" she asked them, "Why fight against me when it's actually my cousins you should be worrying about? Don't think they're as loyal to you as you seem to be to them." Bakura growled, but Seth raised a concerned brow. He didn't understand what Rath was talking about. Were Sith and Sceppiro going to attack Atemu? When he asked, Rath shook her head and said, "Of course not. But are you so sure you feel as safe knowing their power surpasses yours as well? What were to happen if something broke them to extreme measures? Do you honestly think they'll hold it in?" Seth narrowed his eyes. He didn't know Sceppiro's limits, but he guessed only a few things would drive Sith to insanity.

"If you kill the pharaoh, I'll make sure we all kill you," he said dangerously, "Is that why you're attacking Egypt instead of destroying Nesce altogether? To drive your cousins off the cliffs of madness?"

"No, but I will admit it would make sense as to why the Espers joined my side," Rath replied slowly, "However… the pharaoh isn't the only person I can manipulate to get to them. Do you find it odd that they'd ask you to rescue a criminal?" Seth's eyes narrowed further. Yes, it had occurred that the request was unusual, but he also knew Bakura had a power which no one else had, aside from Diabound obviously. That was all he needed to know.

"If you're going to make us turn against our kingdom because of one request, think again," Seth told her, smirking. He glanced at Bakura, who gulped and nodded, and turned back to Rath as he said, "Catch us if you can." With that, both men jumped right off of the cliff, plunging down far below. Seth could barely hear Rath scream, and didn't even see her overlook the cliff to see where they'd fallen. All he saw was the glassy surface of the blue ocean sprawl out as he came closer to shattering its depths. And then, he and Bakura crashed through the placid water, diving into the cold mass. Now, nothing could be heard save for the roar of the strong current. He didn't know where he was, or where he'd be taken, but anywhere away from Aeroglyph was fine… for now. The current was fast as it shooed them from the ocean, and finally into calmer waters, where they finally resurfaced. Bakura gasped for air as he looked around. All he saw was ocean on all sides.

"Where the hell are we?" he asked, as Seth came up next. Seth glanced around, but had no true idea. He had never gone as far as the ocean before, and now he became aware that Egypt might be very far away. And, he was stuck with Bakura. Both thoughts slammed into him and threatened to make him scream bloody murder as he considered his own decisions.

"…I think we're lost," Seth replied simply, trying to keep a hold on his emotions. Screaming at Bakura wouldn't do anything; it wasn't the thief's fault they were stranded.

"What gave you _that_ idea!?" Bakura asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he stayed afloat, "Was it the fact that we're surrounded by ocean, or the fact that there's no desert for miles on end?" Seth growled. He didn't have the time or patience to deal with Bakura and his rude remarks on Seth's frantic decision. He wanted to blow up, but he forced himself to think of a positive solution; one that didn't involve killing Bakura.

"Calm down. If we swim, we'll eventually find land," Seth told him calmly, "Once there, we can probably figure out where to go from that point." He felt this was a sound idea, but judging by Bakura's expression, which consisted of disbelief and madness, it obviously didn't satisfy the thief at all.

"Do you have any idea how _big_ an ocean is!?" Bakura finally exclaimed, "We could be swimming for _years_! Years, man, years! I don't know about you, but I want to be married before I'm thirty! I don't want to wait _years_ to get home!" Seth sighed and shook his head. He doubted it would take years, though it could take a couple of weeks, less if they were extremely lucky.

"Listen, I know you hate doing anything useful, but unless you really want to die out here, we need to start swimming," Seth told him sternly, "You're a thief, right? Can you tell where we need to go based on the sun's direction?" Bakura blinked, his left eye twitching. He didn't actually want to help anyone right then, but he did want to get home. Sighed, he looked up at the sky. Already, the sun was starting to set, and a faint set of stars began to twinkle despite the orange haze. Bakura's eyes narrowed. He had seen that constellation before. It was almost directly above the metropolis, no matter which way he turned to see it. He grinned.

"We swim directly south, and we should be within Egypt's shores soon enough," he replied, "Thank the Gods for Nesce's sets of constellations. They're really easy to recognize, and that one's been hovering over the palace for over six years." Seth didn't really care much for that; he couldn't even see the stars in the light. But nonetheless, he nodded, and both he and Bakura took off toward the south, as the thief had suggested. The water was frigid; he guessed that the citadel hadn't actually moved much at all, for traces of hard snow and ice still existed. But, he had to ignore them, and to ignore the numb in his legs. Egypt was still a ways away, and he couldn't afford to let himself… or Bakura… slack off from the cold. Thankfully, the sun was still out just a bit, giving them enough light to see where they were going. Hopefully, the stars would be able to take over when the sun finally made its descent. Hopefully. Seth would just have to wait and see, but for now, he continued onward, hoping that they were going in the right direction. Or at least, that they were swimming away from Rath, and from the citadel that used to be Nesce.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, Seth managed to find Bakura, but even more problems arise for the poor priest. Having just thrown themselves into the frigid waters, now Seth and Bakura must swim, and then walk all the way back to Egypt, and that's assuming they'll even get there, and assuming they'll survive such a swim. What will they say once they return, and will they be able to warn Atemu in time before Rath powers up her weapon? Can they rely on the help of the select few Espers in the citadel? And, can they tolerate each other enough to get back safely? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	16. On the Road Again

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe Seth and Bakura are working together. But, I told him that sharing is caring, and Seth needs to share some of the adventure so that he can care about someone other than himself.

The palace had become a center of activity as the evening hours waned on. The priests had done a stellar job of gathering the troops in and around the palace to form a decent army to intercept anything from Rath; they had left the guards in the city to defend the people. Magicians were enchanting the guards' weapons as they spoke, and stores all around had agreed to supply potions and food for either free or at a decent price. Now, standing atop on the balcony was Atemu himself, along with Mana, who was unable to help with the recruiting of the guards. Sith and Sceppiro were with them as well, but they were talking about their own kingdom at the moment.

"You really think we can hold off those Espers?" Mana asked curiously, as Atemu oversaw his expansive army from high above. He crossed his arms and nodded, though he kept his eyes on the men down below.

"We can't fight them and hope to win, but we could certainly hold them off," Atemu replied, and then glanced back at Sith, "Though I'm worried about her… We're going to war against her family." Mana nodded sadly.

"It must be hard for them both to handle," she agreed, "But why would Espers fight each other? I thought they'd all be on the same side!" Sith, having overheard Mana's rather loud question, looked over and smiled vaguely. Then, she turned away and shook her head as she walked over, her sword in her hand.

"Usually, we all are," she explained calmly, "Unfortunately, Rath is full of vengeance because of her exile. Any emotional break can cause an Esper to rebel… but…" Atemu looked at her, worried by her sudden hesitancy. Even Mana glanced back at her.

"But what, Lady Sith?" Mana asked.

"…her powers are nothing like an Esper at all," Sith replied grimly, her calmness leaving her voice entirely, "I fear she may not be an Esper any longer."

"How can that be!?" Atemu asked her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him, "What is she!?" Sith looked at him, and he saw fear inside of her now. Not fear of being injured; there was no fear of battle; she wasn't even afraid of Rath. What she _was_ afraid of was whatever was happening to her cousin. But, rather than forcing her to answer, Sceppiro stepped in calmly.

"She is… a darkened Esper," Sceppiro replied grimly, a deep frown set into him, "I could say that she's simply lost, but she is just dark. There was never a spark of compassion in her since the day I met her. Father said… that all Espers were good, but I think he's wrong when it came to Rath. She was never good."

"I do not fear fighting her," Sith added, and Atemu went from Sceppiro to looking at her, "But I fear that she may have infected other Espers. If that's the case… then an onslaught will be inevitable, Atemu. Are you sure… Egypt can handle this?" Atemu blinked, almost unable to believe that she would actually ask him that. He wanted to answer that of course Egypt could, but… now that the question had been presented, he had to think about it realistically. _Could_ Egypt handle it? He didn't know, and assumption would kill them all.

"…yes," he finally said, "Egypt can handle this. It's the _people_ I'm worried about. We're going to need information, but by the gods, Seth hasn't yet returned. We can't begin until he returns with Bakura."

"That's assuming Rath hasn't killed him yet," Sceppiro reminded him, looking over the horizon as the moon started to rise in full strength. Mana looked out with him, but Atemu simply glanced at Sith with worry. Her mouth had dropped open at that suggestion, and angrily, she rapped Sceppiro over the head, causing the older Esper to fall over.

"Do not say that!" she exclaimed furiously, "Bakura isn't dead! Diabound wouldn't be waiting with us if he was!" Mana and Atemu stared at her worriedly as Sceppiro scrambled up and glared at his sister. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, both of their eyes equally as steeled and locked. Finally, though, Sceppiro sighed.

"All right. Let's assume they're simply lost, then," Sceppiro began, but Sith cut in again.

"Don't suggest that either!" she snapped. This time, though, Sceppiro actually laughed at her. Atemu and Mana exchanged nervous glances as they saw how frustrated Sith had become, but Sceppiro didn't stop.

"My goodness, Sith, you're becoming really cranky," he commented, "All right, let's just assume nothing then and hope they come back soon." Sith nodded stiffly, though her glare at her brother didn't lessen. He simply grinned as they all continued to overlook the activities happening below. Within hours, hopefully, they'll be able to move, something that Sith truly did want to see happen before Rath came back. Sighing, she leaned against the banister.

"Agreed."

"So, are we there yet?" Bakura asked for what Seth was sure had to be the thousandth time that night as they swam through the ocean. All it had been for hours on end was the same: swimming through the ocean and enduring the coldness of said ocean. Seth knew he was hungry, but somehow, the sheer cold swallowed that up as well as he focused entirely on moving forward. Bakura, however, had taken to asking if they were there every five seconds or so. Seth, despite being glad to have an ally, was ready to bash Bakura over the head with the Millennium Rod and watch him drown.

"No, we're not there yet!" Seth snapped shortly, looking back at him, "Stop whining and keep going!"

"Wow, you're just as bossy as those guards," Bakura commented slyly, quickly catching up to Seth, "Do this; shut that; don't say that to me! I'm surprised Atemu hasn't fired you yet." Seth grumbled. If only Bakura knew how close he'd come to being exiled. And, not just once, either; no, he'd come close nearly three times. But, for the sake of sanity, he decided not to share this with the thief, whom he was sure would find a way to throw it right back in his face later if he did so. Instead of yelling, which he sorely wanted to do at that point, Seth simply sighed, and stopped for the moment. When Bakura saw this, he asked, "What're you doing? You want to freeze out here?"

"I'm trying to see if we can see land from here, jackass," Seth mumbled, looking all around. The ocean seemed endless no matter how far they had swum, but Seth saw just a tiny sliver of gray amidst the black of the water. He squinted his eyes, but could see no further. Turning back to Bakura, who was trying his best to stay afloat, Seth asked, "Thief, can you see well in the dark?" Bakura stopped flopping around and looked at Seth with amusement.

"Don't you remember just who I am?" the thief in question asked, grinning, "I am Bakura, the king of…"

"The king of thieves, we know!" Seth spat angrily, "You've said that every time one of us talks to you. Soon, you're going to be the king of drowning if you don't stop it. Just answer my damn question!" Bakura's eyes narrowed as he swam forward, Seth glaring at him all the while. He definitely missed Atemu right then, despite them being bitter enemies. At least Atemu never threatened him.

"Someone's stick was wedged too far up their ass this morning," Bakura growled, and then turned to the direction Seth indicated. He squinted his eyes, letting them adjust, and thanking Ra that he was such a good thief. He saw that, indeed, whatever Seth had seen was land. Grinning, he exclaimed, "_WE'RE SAFE! THERE'S LAND! ACTUAL LAND!_" Seth blinked as Bakura began to swim so quickly toward the land he saw, that he hadn't even given the priest any time to object.

"Bakura!" Seth called, but Bakura appeared to not have even heard him as he continued onward, "Damn it, thief, get back here! Bakura! _BAKURA, LISTEN TO ME!_"

"Look, priest, either we stand here and freeze our asses off, or you shut up and follow me," Bakura called, stopping for just a moment, "I say, if you're smart, you'll follow me." Seth's eye twitched. He didn't want to take orders from Bakura, nor did he feel he should have to, but he knew that if he didn't at least pretend to humor Bakura, he might actually die within the morning. Sighing with complete and utter disgust, Seth began to swim forward, hoping he kept up with Bakura's speedy pace. Within less than an hour, they were both standing on dry land, but when Seth examined it, he frowned. It was simply a small stretch; it led to nowhere in particular, or at least as far as Seth could see. Everything beyond just a few feet looked pitch black.

"So much for finding our way home," Seth said sadly, looking down, "I guess this wasn't the right way."

"At least we're on land," Bakura reminded him, sitting down, "We can rest for the night. I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired." Seth sighed, and sat down as well. He didn't want to admit it, but he was exhausted. His combat suit was thoroughly soaked, and very, very hard to hold up from the extra weight; either that or he was reverting back to human form. He wouldn't know unless it was daytime. Calmly, he looked into the placid water. Aside from the ripples made from their movement, nothing disturbed it.

"…how do you think the pharaoh's doing?" he asked quietly. Bakura, who'd been wringing out his tattered cloak, looked over at Seth. He had sounded worried, something Bakura didn't think could've been possible.

"I bet he's doing as well as he could," Bakura replied, turning back to his cloak, "He's got Knight Sith with him; I doubt he's in danger with her right there." Seth looked away. That was actually untrue. Once Rath had her weapon charged, the palace could be done for.

"Do you… know what Rath plans to do with the weapon she's charging?" Seth asked, hoping his thoughts translated well. Bakura blinked, and laid down his cloak. He looked over at Seth and slowly shook his head. He hadn't heard Seth ask something so timidly, and now he had the feeling not all was well in Egypt.

"What's going on over there?" he asked, referring to Egypt. Seth bit his lip.

"I believe the palace is the target once she gets it running," he told the thief, "She knows… that Sith and Sceppiro are both there. Their uncle is, too. And, unfortunately, they're the source of her anger. If she takes out the palace, she takes them, too. _And_, it gets rid of us, as well." Bakura's eyes narrowed as he heard this. That wasn't good at all. That meant that everyone was still in danger no matter where they were.

"We can't kick them out," Bakura whispered, "That can't be the only safety, can it?"

"If we do, they'd leave Egypt alone, but I highly doubt Atemu would get rid of Sith," Seth reminded him realistically, "Besides, we need to stand against Rath. We can't assume she won't go after _us_ if she kills the other Espers first."

"We need to get back there and warn them if they don't already know," Bakura stated grimly, crossing his arms, "They know there'll be an attack, but I don't think they know she has a weapon." Seth agreed with that; if there was a weapon they knew of, someone would've said something. Unfortunately, he didn't know what else to say on the matter. Bakura seemed to understand this, and after successfully wringing his cloak out, the thief laid on the ground and started to fall asleep. Seth, however, didn't nod off as quickly. Many things still swam in his head, most of the concerning the palace and its safety. Anything that didn't simply transferred to being disbelief at how one small mission turned into an all-out onslaught between the Winchester family. He still couldn't understand how they had been dragged into it, either.

"This all started because Sith needed to see her brother," Seth relayed, wondering if something from before could explain Rath's sudden appearance, "Sceppiro was playing us for fools, knowing that any threat made to Egypt would be dealt with personally… he planned that to get Sith to come to Nesce… is it because he knew there'd be an attack? Why _would_ he bring her back to Nesce? He seemed surprised to see Rath… but this doesn't make sense." Seth turned to Bakura, only to find he was fast asleep; there would be no converse with him now. The priest sighed, shaking his head. He had to figure this out. He certainly had the time for that, after all, as he was stuck on a strip of land with Bakura. He looked out over the water.

"If he anticipated an attack, but Rath wasn't actually it, then what was he expecting?" Seth asked himself, remembering the small conversation they had just prior to returning to Egypt, "They said Rath was _one_ of the Espers who could attack, but who were the others? Was it one of her underlings that they expected? …wait, even if it was, it points right back to her…" Seth sighed, shaking his head. He realized that all of his ranting brought him right back to the start: Rath was still their enemy no matter which way he turned their current situation; Sceppiro was simply the unwitting beginning of it all.

"Okay, I'm thinking too much. Sceppiro was terrified by the attack, and Sith isn't stupid enough to plan something like that," Seth said, "But there's something deeper than just a family war here. If it was simply family, Rath wouldn't have taken Bakura; she wouldn't have destroyed Nesce, especially since she wants control over all Espers. Maybe the Espers aren't enough for her… most of them are on Sith's side, anyway." He looked into the water again, remembering what Ruon and his squadron had said. They wanted to find Sith and join her to take Rath down. If this were simply one family war, or even just one attack against Egypt, Rath wouldn't involve anyone but the closest guards and a few powerful squadrons. But she seemed to be terrorizing anything she could.

"…this is confusing me," he finally said, lying back and looked at the night sky, "This is meant to confuse me. I need to stop and just report on what I saw and found. Sith and Sceppiro know what this means, and it doesn't matter how we were involved, anyway. We just… are. Yes, leave the problems we can't answer to the gods; right now, I should be focusing on sleeping, not on why we were involved in this war from one small mission." And, following that, Seth closed his eyes, letting sleep overcome him. He let go of the worries plaguing him, realizing that Rath might very well have been trying to muddle him with her own thoughts on the war; they were still closer to Nesce than he wanted, and she still had a hold on his mind from what felt like long ago, even though she hadn't used it since they had first entered Nesce.

Hours passed as the two slept peacefully along the small strip they had swum to, but in the course of that time, the land seemed to have shifted amazingly so. High tide had faded as the sun crawled up into the pale sky, and the water seemed to have flown away from them and their tiny patch of island, rendering it much bigger than it previously was; it also opened up a path leading to another shore on the outskirts of a giant continent toward the west. The sun was shining resiliently in the early hour, and its single ray slipped into Bakura's eyes, waking the thief as he rose and stretched out.

"Is it really morning?" he grumbled, opening an eye. To his dismay, it was. He looked over to Seth. The priest was still asleep, but this time, he was human. His ears had shrunken back to normal standards, and his tail and wings fell off, most probably carried off in the currents beside them. Kneeling, Bakura shook the priest and said, "Wake up. We've got a problem." Seth blinked, and then sat, looking at Bakura. His head felt fuzzy, as though he'd been drugged into a sleep.

"What's this problem of yours?" he asked, "If it's lack of food, you'll need to deal." He snorted with amusement, but Bakura held a stern glare. Yes, food was a problem, but that wasn't what was bothering him. Seth's lack of magic was now the new problem; if Rath pursued them, they had no way to fight her off if their human weapons failed to work.

"No, it's more like lack of protection," Bakura replied grimly, "You're human again." Seth blinked, and then looked in the water to stare at his own, human reflection. Bakura was right; every sign of being an Esper was gone. Sceppiro's spell must've faded in the night. Seth sighed, and then laughed.

"So much for remaining an Esper," he said, and then shrugged, "Sith never said I had to stay in cover for the entire mission. Just until I found you, which I did."

"But what if Rath comes for us?" Bakura asked, hoping to stress the point, "We're dead!" Seth laughed; that was true, _if_ she found them. Which, of course, she hadn't. He looked up at the sky, which was a pale blue at that hour.

"We will be if we don't move," Seth told him, smiling slyly, "I doubt she knows where we are." Bakura nodded, but he didn't understand what Seth meant. There was nowhere to go. Then again, he didn't notice what had happened to the current during the night.

"Where the hell do we move to, priest?" Bakura asked flatly, his eyes narrowing. Seth glanced at him, and grinned, pointing to where the current had died away. Bakura looked, and his jaw dropped. It was as though half the ocean were wiped out, leaving trails and paths for them to follow. He couldn't believe such a thing could actually happen! Eye twitching, he asked, "How the hell did _that_ happen!?"

"It's low tide," Seth replied, getting up, "It'll grow higher when night comes. Let's go." Bakura nodded, still confused as to how the ocean itself could shift so drastically, and scrambled up as well. Seth led the way as they walked along the stretch of beach, that stretch eventually fanning out and swooping downward into the path that was created. It snaked and weaved through rocks and coral patches that had washed up, but otherwise, it worked just fine. The sand was soggy, and though Seth had little difficulty thanks to his armor, Bakura had a much more tiring time trying to weave his way through. His shoes kept getting stuck, as they weren't like the boots Seth was wearing. He cursed angrily, wishing they had stuck to just swimming at that point.

"I hate low tide," the thief growled disapprovingly, "Why can't the ocean just stay put like it's supposed to?"

"How about because that's just not how nature works?" Seth retorted smugly, "Now stop griping and keep walking. Egypt's not going to find _us_. We have to do the dirty work, and I'm not going to listen to you for hours on end while we hike." Bakura blinked. Hours; they were going to be doing this for hours. He couldn't accept that, nor did he want to. He _hated_ hiking, even though he spent so much of his life doing it. He moaned miserably.

"I hope the pharaoh is having as much fun as we are," he growled, not sure if he meant it or not. On the one hand, he now envied the fact that Atemu was in his palace, and _he_ was out here, slogging through mud. But on the other, he knew this wasn't Atemu's fault. He knew this was because of Rath, and because they had no other alternative unless death appealed to them. Which, it didn't. After that outburst of 'hope,' Bakura kept quiet for a good part of their journey. Neither of them stopped to look for food; unless they took to eating dried coral or seaweed, there was nothing to eat anyway. The morning was spent following the path that had been formed, while looking all around at the drastic change to the ocean. Flat, wet sand spread out everywhere Bakura could see; no sign of water seemed to actually exist at that point. He couldn't believe that low tide was responsible for it all. Hanging onto that thought, he asked, "Do you think all of the water simply evaporated?" Seth stopped. He didn't want to think on it, but now that he looked, the water did seem unusually low, even for such a tide.

"I don't think we want to know where the water went," he finally said, "Just keep walking." Bakura frowned. He didn't like how Seth was ignoring him; he might very well have noticed something important. But, he also couldn't blame Seth. If they wasted too much time, they'd be caught in the rising tide later that day.

"What'll we do once we reach another piece of land?" Bakura decided to inquire, as they continued on, climbing down as the path sloped downwards. Seth's lips thinned. He hadn't planned that far just yet, and while he considered that they might not end up in Egypt, he hadn't considered what to do if they _did_ get lost. He knew nothing about any of the other countries; he had never been dispatched out of Egypt.

"Well, I think a good priority is finding out where the hell we actually are," Seth replied calmly, glancing back, "Once we do that, and we find a map, we'll see how far we actually are from Egypt. Hopefully, it's not too far away, but if Rath somehow anticipated me being there, she might've driven Nesce to another continent to force Atemu's hand and weaken his defense." Bakura growled. He hated Atemu, but he decided now he hated Rath much, much more, and that if she ever came into his sights, he would throttle her right there. Or, at least he'd try to. She was doing a fantastic job of screwing everyone he knew and sort of cared for over.

"Maybe we should warn everyone we can about Rath," Bakura suggested, looking thoughtfully at a patch of drying seaweed, "I mean, there's some good coming out of this if we do that, right?" Seth sighed. He admired Bakura's spirit when it came to helping them, but the situation wasn't that easy. Not everyone knew about Espers; if they were traveling to a place that knew nothing of Espers, or that banned magic, such a warning could get them killed. He had to avoid that if they had any chance of surviving the battle. He shook his head.

"We can't attract attention to this without knowing how said land deals with magic," Seth told him, as they climbed out of the little ditch, "I _want_ to warn people of this, but we can't act blindly, Bakura. At this point, I think if people don't see the castle floating in the sky like that, they're as good as dead anyway." Bakura's eyes widened as he glared sharply at Seth. He agreed to a certain extent on that. After all, the castle could be seen for miles. But, what he couldn't approve of was Seth's tone; the priest sounded almost indifferent to the thought of thousands of innocents being killed. And, while Bakura did his fair share of killing, he never enjoyed an ounce of it unless it benefited either himself or someone he actually cared for.

"But can you really live with that thought?" Bakura asked curiously, "Seth, we're talking about _thousands_ of people being put into danger. I don't think Rath is going to aim for _just_ Egypt. I think she's going to kill whatever she wants." Seth sighed grimly. He knew that very well, but there was nothing they could actually do. They weren't close to any form of land, at least any they could see, and Nesce was probably miles from them at that point; Seth no longer felt any energy coming from there. From that point, they both remained silent, neither wanting to bring up what they thought they should do. Hours passed by slowly, and as the sun continued to rise and brighten, making the air just so much warmer, Bakura was beginning to worry about what to do for water. None seemed to exist, and it'd been a very long time since he'd eaten or drank anything. Sighing, he wiped the sweat off of his forehead, looking up at the sky.

"Are you holding up all right back there?" Seth asked, noticing Bakura was slowing down. Bakura nodded, and panted.

"I'm just thirsty," he replied, "I haven't drunk anything since I fell off the ship." Seth stopped, and realized that was at least two days ago. It was no wonder Bakura was so tired. He guessed the poor man hadn't eaten in that time, either.

"…are you going to be okay?" the priest asked worriedly. Bakura heard his concern and grinned, nodding his head.

"I've gone for weeks without food sometimes," he replied proudly, "This is nothing!" Seth looked at him with amusement for a moment, and then shook his head and continued on. If Bakura wanted to kill himself by being proud, it was just one less responsibility for Seth. Until, of course, he remembered that the only reason he was even sent to Nesce was to retrieve Bakura. He cursed inwardly.

"You'd better not die on me then, or I'll make sure you get eaten by jackals," Seth grumbled, as Bakura laughed. He shook his head again, but when he looked ahead, he gasped. He had been talking to Bakura, and hadn't realized that they were coming close to what he thought was a very, very high plateau. He looked up, and as Bakura stopped, they simply gazed at it. Bakura snorted.

"Either that path sloped more than we thought, or we're going to be scaling a mountain," he joked. Seth, however, didn't find the humor as he continued to glare at the cliff face. It was jagged and rocky, and looked unstable as a few pockets of pebbles came crashing into the mud. He turned to Bakura stiffly.

"You actually think we're going to be climbing that!?" he asked, exasperated, and when Bakura nodded, he yelled, "_IT'S A CLIFF!_"

"Very good. You can state the obvious," Bakura cheered mockingly, "Now stop whining. If I can survive a few days with that woman, you can climb a mountain." He walked forward as Seth simply stared at him, unable to believe that _he_ was the one taking charge of their situation now. If Seth were alone, he'd ignore the cliff and find an easier route. Of course, there may not be another route, which made Seth groan as he watched Bakura take out a hook.

"Why the hell are _you_ in charge?" Seth asked, storming over to where Bakura was working. The thief glanced over and snorted again.

"Because I want to go home," he stated.

"I do, too!" Seth retorted angrily, wondering just what Bakura was implying. And it came as Bakura snorted once more.

"Judging by how often you refuse to do manual labor, I find that hard to believe," Bakura stated, grinning as he secured his hook, pulling himself up, "You know, if you get rid of your self-righteous shit you think you're pulling, we're not that much different. I hate this as much as you do. I just have more respect for the people who care about me." With that, he hoisted himself upward, leaving Seth to stare, his mouth dropped open in shock. How _DARE_ Bakura compare him to himself! They were nothing alike! Seth was an officer of the pharaoh; Bakura was just a thief.

"Hating labor doesn't make us similar, thief," Seth spat furiously, eyes narrowing at the thought. Bakura, however, continued upward and laughed, shaking his head.

"No, but not giving a crap about the consequences of our actions does," Bakura told him, and then continued on. Seth growled. He didn't want to travel with Bakura. He only did this as an order, and he wished he could just murder the thief right there. Grudgingly, he grabbed the rope and pulled on it, slowly climbing upwards after the thief. He couldn't believe what Bakura said, but until they were safe, he'd have to ignore it. He'd deal with him once they warned Atemu about Rath and her weapon. Sighing, he continued on.

"We're nothing alike… how could he make such a comparison?"

--(End Chapter)

And so, at the very least, Seth and Bakura are on the road and doing their best to return home. But, with what Bakura said, you can expect that revenge is one of the top thoughts on Seth's mind. Can he hold his anger until he makes a full report to the pharaoh? Will Rath fire her terrible weapon before Seth can make said report? And, will Atemu be ready for the onslaught when it does occur? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button.


	17. Dungeons and Dragons: Bahamut's Arrival!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe Seth and Bakura are the heroes now. I can't either. Seth is a terrible hero.

"Okay, we've got guards from both the northern and southern squadrons ready to be dispatched immediately, pharaoh. The western sector was asked to stay in the city for the safety of the people, and the eastern squadron still needs equipment before being deployed," Malik said, as he walked with Atemu and Sith toward the antechamber, with Mana and Sceppiro further behind, "We have all forms of weapons from both our side and from Esper sympathizers living along the Egyptian border. The question is, do we hold fire?" Atemu blinked. That sort of movement was going much quicker than he ever expected. They already had a solid defense, but they still lacked one thing; a report. He nodded as Sith went ahead to clear the room for his arrival.

"Yes. We do not attack without Seth's report," Atemu told him sternly, as they walked into the large chamber. Most of his priests, save for Seth and Akunadin, were waiting for him, and Sith was once more by his throne, her sword in hand. He smiled as he strode up the path to his throne and sat down, glancing at Sith.

"His delay worries me," she said sternly, frowning, "Atemu, should I go and see if they're all right?" Atemu narrowed his eyes, considering that. Yes, he was also worried, but if he sent her, she could be killed. He shook his head. The risk was too great; if he lost her, they pretty much lost the battle. Even if they won, without her, Nesce would fall. Even Sceppiro would admit to that.

"No, Sith. You stay here," he told her, "I can't risk sending you out. Without you, we have a slim chance to survive Rath's attacks. In fact…" Atemu stopped, and both he and Sith looked over as a guard came scrambling up to them, stumbling on the small stair. Sith narrowed her eyes as he looked up, his skin pale and sweaty in what was clearly terror. Many guards waited by the doorway, and curiously, Atemu looked at them all, "Yes?"

"G-great pharaoh! L-lady Sith, we have a huge problem!" he stammered, "Nesce is floating away! And it's… it's shooting out a terrifying ray! It's decimating another continent!" Everyone's eyes widened, and Atemu stood straight up as Sith dropped her sword. Sceppiro's glasses fell off dramatically, and Cyd cursed.

"Damn it, she's messing with our magic!" he yelled angrily, "She's gonna blow the entire kingdom apart!"

"How did she amass so much power so quickly!?" Sceppiro asked, terrified, "No Esper could ever do this to our kingdom! It's… it's impossible!"

"Are we truly doomed to destruction now!?" Sith demanded, kneeling to pick up her sword, "This is terrible news. Unless she found a way to warp and fabricate space, she should never have been able to do this!" Everyone glanced at each other, each one wondering what this truly meant and if an attack would be coming shortly. Atemu had no feeling that one would, but he did know that danger was definitely close by, even if they weren't the targets for it. He sighed, looking around at all of the priests, guards, and servants who were now completely engrossed into the terror of the situation.

"Everyone, calm yourselves!" he commanded, and silence fell as they all looked at him. Even Sith glanced at him with concern as he continued, "We can't let this falter us! We need to continue defending the palace until Seth and Bakura returns. Please, just calm down." Silence continued onward, no one wishing to speak or go against him as the wind outside rushed quickly and quietly, kicking sand around the palace walls. Finally, Sith spoke.

"What do we do about this, sir?" she asked him calmly. He looked back, and then looked away, having no way to answer her. It was a difficult situation, since anything could mess their defense up, but he knew something had to be done. But whatever it was just wasn't coming to him. He sighed.

"I… I don't know, Sith…"

--

"I think I speak for everyone in the world when I say that I hate cliffs!" Seth exclaimed as he and Bakura were currently in the process of scaling the large cliff they found just moments before. It was a slow, painful process, especially since Seth had never climbed up a cliff before. Bakura was going quickly, but only because he had the grappling hook; Seth had nothing but the rope Bakura left behind. Bakura looked down at him and mumbled.

"Would you stop whining and get up here? Time's being wasted!" he called down, making Seth's already sour mood worse. He was still angry that Bakura compared them both to each other, but to see the thief taking charge made him want to yell until his lungs burst. He looked up, scowling as the sun shone resiliently on them.

"Excuse _me_ for hating cliffs!" Seth snapped back, eye twitching, "It must be so easy to be you! Why, you just love everything, don't you!? Nope, nothing ever gets on _your_ nerves!"

"At least I don't bitch about it until I kill everyone around me with boredom!" Bakura retorted furiously, "You think I like being stuck here, trying to save both our asses from oblivion!? I'm the one who was locked up and beaten for two days, you asshole. I'm the one who suffered from massive whippings and starvation for most of my life! You _think_ I love anything in this damned world!? I'm just trying to get home so I have _something_ to look forward to!" Seth stopped, and frowned. That was… true enough. He didn't _want_ to admit it, but Bakura was right. He did suffer a lot of damage just from being with Rath; he suffered even more so long before then. It made Seth feel guilty for once concerning the thief. He sighed.

"…you don't love anything?" Seth finally asked, "To hell you don't, Bakura. You wouldn't be so mad at me if you didn't have something worth caring about." Bakura stopped this time, and turned around, looking at the priest critically. Both simply stared at each other for a moment before Bakura spoke again.

"There is someone I do care about," he finally replied, "But I do not love her. It would scare her away. But what does it matter? She will die if we don't move, so shut up and just keep going." Seth looked down, knowing he shouldn't have asked that. Bakura had made it clear he cared about someone beforehand; that wouldn't have changed no matter what he actually said. Seth sighed again as Bakura shrugged and continued onwards. He didn't know what could be done, but he couldn't let the situation get too grim. It was his job as a priest, which he knew he already screwed up royally.

"Maybe it _should_ matter," Seth said, running to keep up after the thief, "Even if we're all doomed, don't you want to go out knowing you loved someone?"

"…and what will that prove, priest?" Bakura asked, glancing back, "Look, I appreciate you trying to correct your mistake, but you're making me feel worse about this journey, not better. Knight Sith is in a lot of danger because of you; right now, I could kill you for what you tried to pull, but I'm not going to. She begged _you_ to help her, and why she did is something I'll never understand, but she did and I have to accept that." Seth perked an eyebrow. That was quite an assumption Bakura gave him, and it was wrong. He intended to shatter that right then.

"First of all, I volunteered to help you," Seth told him, "I did it for the pharaoh, not for his knight. You weren't there; she's not nearly as helpless as you think. She doesn't need any patronage from you." Bakura stopped again, and this time glared furiously at Seth. Though not similar to Sith, Seth felt a ripple of magic rush through him, and felt hatred from the thief slipping out.

"She needed someone when she was attacked, and the only person who was strong enough, or even willing to help her, was me," Bakura reminded him angrily, his eyes narrowing, "You would do nothing for her. I did all I could, and she was a muddled wreck when I was forced to leave her. Do you have… any idea how terrified that made me? How terrified it made _her_? Do you even care?" For a moment, Seth and Bakura continued to glare at each other, the latter awaiting any form of response from the former. But, when he got none, he said, "I didn't think you would." Then, he turned again and stormed forward, not caring if he left Seth behind or not. Seth blinked, unable to believe that Bakura, of everyone, was talking to him about caring for people. It made him all the more angry.

"It was her own fault for leaving us!" Seth yelled, "She knew the danger! She…" Bakura growled and jumped back, landing with a mighty thud next to the priest, his glare returning.

"You don't get it, do you?" Bakura asked him, "No matter how self-righteous or self-proclaimed you are, you are no priest. A priest would've done everything he could to ensure his partner's safety. You're simply willing to let Sith die, and all the more power to her since it's her choice. You're the worst priest I've ever met, and the only reason I haven't slit your damn throat yet is because of her. I have half a mind to leave you here."

"I'm the worst, am I?" Seth retorted, his own fury finally seeping, "At least I wouldn't make her so uncomfortable that she has to _run away_ from me. You're no priest, either, Bakura, so don't ever tell me what I'm doing wrong. You'd have dragged Sith out of Egypt in a heartbeat if you were the one sent to find her. You'd have taken her somewhere no one found her, all for that 'love' you mention so often." Bakura's eyes widened, and the sand beneath him began to shift color. If he was angry before, he would probably slaughter something now. His breathing became rapid; he wanted to throttle Seth for what he said. He felt his mind snapping, all of the pain and rage from the past week filling him further with hatred.

"I would… _never have… DONE ANY OF THAT TO HER!_" Bakura roared, sending sprays of sand everywhere as his voice grew in pitch, "Never! _NEVER!_ I would have brought her back! I would have convinced her not to go alone! I would have done _EVERYTHING I COULD TO KEEP HER SAFE!_" Seth finally realized he made the biggest mistake in his life by his accusation as he backed away. Bakura's sudden display was much more terrifying than anything Sith would have done for the same accusation. Advancing toward Seth, Bakura growled menacingly, screaming, "_I WOULD NEVER HARM HER!_"

"Bakura, calm down, I didn't…" Seth started, but Bakura laughed hysterically.

"Calm down!? Calm _DOWN_!?" Bakura screamed, eyes glowing in madness, "I will never calm down! You _dare_ accuse me of wrongdoing!? You… you…" Bakura knelt down, trying to catch his breath, "…you…" Seth looked at him, and then looked up as a figure approached them, a wizened old man in a red cloak, his white beard falling to the ground as he walked forward, the sound of bell chimes playing as he did so. He looked down at Bakura, patting him on the shoulder.

"Easy, boy, you don't want to let your power unfold too quickly now," he said calmly, and then turned to Seth, "I advise you to stop whatever slander you have for Bakura or Lady Sith this instant." Bakura continued to breathe heavily, trying to keep his emotions from overflowing, his eyes widened in now what appeared to be exhaustion. Seth, however, kept his eyes on the old man.

"Who are you?" he demanded. The old man snorted, patting Bakura again.

"Who am I? I am the creator of all magic," the man told him, "Some call me Bahamut, the God of Espers, but others call me Rougnes, the Mage of Omega. Whichever identity you choose matters not, for I've come to aid one of the newest guardians we have." Seth's eye twitched, wondering just what was actually going on. Bahamut, the _god of Espers_ was standing right before him, something he never thought would happen. Sith mentioned him, but only briefly. Now, he knew he was screwed.

"Bakura?" Seth asked, and when Bahamut nodded, he laughed, "Dear Ra, you have to be kidding me! He's a thief!"

"He is also able to handle our magic coursing through his veins," Bahamut replied, his golden eyes moving from Bakura to Seth, "I'm quite sure you realize how he has our magic?" Seth shook his head, having no idea what this old man was even saying. How did Bakura get magic, and more importantly, how did it come from the Espers? Bakura was no Esper. Sighing, Bahamut said, "Come with me." He bent down and picked Bakura up, slinging the exhausted man over his shoulder with much less effort than a man clearly Bahamut's age should have had. He walked forward, and Seth simply stared.

"Are you really… an Esper?" he asked. The man looked back and nodded.

"Yes. Just as Lady Sith and Lord Sceppiro are," he replied, "Now, come. We have much to discuss before time runs out." Seth hummed, but followed Bahamut anyway. Whatever was happening, it could be a turn for the better. At the very least, they had a magician on their side if Rath returned. They walked through the grasslands, Bakura falling unconscious as Bahamut carried him, and for moments, continued onward until they came to a small hut in the middle of the field. Grunting, Bahamut walked up the steps and opened the door, permitting Seth inside.

"So… you live here?" Seth asked, looking around the small house. It was a single room, with nothing but a table and three chairs. Bahamut nodded, laying Bakura on a mat near the wall and then sitting in one of the chairs.

"Sit, my boy," he said, and when Seth did so, he continued, "…I'm sure you realize you are at war with magic, correct?" Seth perked an eyebrow. That much was painfully obvious. Anyone who had heard from Egypt knew magic was destroying them.

"You're stating the obvious, old man," Seth informed him bitterly, frowning. Bahamut chuckled as he took out a mug and sipped from it.

"Indeed, but there is more to this war than you realize," Bahamut stated, "Rath is not the cause of this war. She is simply a catalyst for what is to come."

"For what… what's coming?" Seth asked, suddenly not nearly as bitter as he was before, "Is something going to wipe us out?"

"Easy, boy. Go at my pace," Bahamut said calmly, putting the mug down, "This is a dangerous game we've all wandered into, and I've been forced to step in before this war kills you all. Now, you know very well that Lady Sith and Lord Sceppiro are the targets, correct?" Seth sighed. Why was a god asking him all of this? Stuffing the question away, he nodded.

"Yes. But why?" Seth asked, "If it's not Rath, what's going on? Why is she attacking? Is she working for someone?"

"Not some_one_, but some_thing_," Bahamut replied, "Long ago, when she was sealed up, she found a portal to a place that no mortal, human or non, should go. Out of boredom and vengeance, she explored this terrible place, which exploited the hatred she held for her uncle, Claude, for sealing her away. Eventually, this hatred possessed her, turning her into a Dark Esper, and granting her too much power for this world to bear. Using my magic, I sent… many powerful warriors to stop her, and manipulated space to bring the only two capable of putting an end to her madness into your world." Seth frowned. That barely made any sense to him; how did it connect to anything relative to what was going on?

"…are you saying that you warped our world?" he asked, "How?"

"I brought a tiny piece of the Esper world to this world, hoping that the Winchester line would be able to stop Rath in neutral ground. Did you not know? Nesce was never part of this world until nearly 1,000 years ago, right around the time Lady Sith was born," Bahamut replied, and this time, Seth gasped in shock, "Yes, she is older than you would think. As is her brother. But that is not my point, young man. Right now, this world is going to crumble if we do not stop Rath." Seth growled. He knew that already, though he didn't actually understand the damage being caused.

"Then why are we wasting time?" Seth demanded, "We have to tell the pharaoh!"

"There is little he could do to stop it," Bahamut replied calmly, "Even as the pharaoh, he is not strong enough. No, the key is to win with Espers. Unfortunately, our power is slipping because of the capture of Aeroglyph, making this much too difficult for many of the lesser ranked forces we still have."

"So then what do we do!?" Seth asked, becoming exasperated with Bahamut's explanation, which wasn't actually explaining anything Seth wanted to know, "If Espers are the answers, shouldn't we be working to get Nesce back!?" Bahamut chuckled, which came out as more of a wheeze.

"We need to place the king and queen of the Espers properly on their thrones," Bahamut said simply, "That will allow them to transform into their deadliest forms. Only the purest and strongest of us can become that which mortals fear most. The most powerful creatures in existence, both in magic and mundane; they are the keys to this war."

"What are these creatures!?" Seth asked him, "Are they panthers? We've seen Sith become one already." Bahamut chuckled again, shaking his head.

"No. That form is powerful, but can only be reached with anger," Bahamut replied, "This form… can only be reached when all else has failed. An Esper's true form is a dragon. Most of us are dragons, either naturally or in way of transformation. Others are more animal-like, but the strongest are nearly always dragons. I myself am a dragon; I've taken a human form as I watch this world." Seth blinked, staring at the old man in disbelief. It was a hard concept to grasp; after all, this man looked ready to collapse in a moment's notice. How could he be a dragon, and if he was, why did he choose such an old form? When asked, Bahamut merely laughed and said, "My boy, you've not the knowledge to understand my age."

"…all right, so the Espers are the key to this terrible war," Seth finally said, agreeing with what Bahamut was saying, "But what does that have to do with Bakura? Why is he a 'guardian' and of what? How did he even get magic? He is a simple thief." Bahamut stared for a moment at Seth, and then turned to Bakura, who was fast asleep on the mat. His smile was small, but serene as he snored onwards.

"Do you not find it so odd that despite wherever Lady Sith may be, Bakura is there to help her?" Bahamut asked him, smiling gently as he looked at the thief, "Do you not find it odd, that despite everyone else's disapproval, he continues to look after _her_ specifically? That his feelings do not change? A normal human would forget her."

"A normal human would obsess over her and wonder why she doesn't care for them," Seth corrected sternly, "Old man, you don't know what we're like. We don't 'un-care' for people simply because they don't care for us. And Bakura? He's a special case. He wouldn't leave even if Sith stabbed him in the heart." Bahamut issued a low growl, and shook his head. His golden eyes gleamed for just a moment as he stared critically at the young priest.

"You do not see my point, child," he stated firmly, frowning, "My point is that he is her guardian while she is in this world. All Espers are appointed one when they come to a new world. Sceppiro has one, as does Cydandilus. The only two who do not are myself and Tiamat, for we do not need them."

"Why him!?" Seth blurted out, as Bakura stirred, wrinkling his nose, "Why did you choose him and what happens if he died?" Bahamut blinked, and sighed. This was taking more time than he would have liked, but if he planned on stopping this before something far worse came, he had no choice but to answer.

"Because he is one of the few who accepts Esper magic freely, and is able to use it with as much force as Lady Sith herself," Bahamut said, narrowing his eyes, "I chose him because I knew he would work well with her. As to his death… if he dies, she will have to find another guardian. Either through his family or through any soul resembling his own. Without one, an Esper is in a lot of danger. Not through physical damage, but through social and customary ways. In a way, a guardian is much like a tutor in the ways of the world." Seth bit his lip, realizing that the ways Espers worked was much more complex than he ever imagined. He wondered if Sith had any idea of this. Unfortunately, as he spoke, Bakura chose that time to ask a question as well.

"Then what of the pharaoh?" Seth asked, right as Bakura stated, "I do not have family, nor will I have children. What then?" Bahamut looked at them both, and snorted softly.

"The pharaoh was entirely from Claude Winchester. He wanted his daughter to live the life she was meant to have. She is, after all, royalty. And, with the only kingdom close to Nesce being Egypt itself, he felt it was only right," Bahamut replied, chuckling, "You would be surprised; Sith does not view Atemu as a partner yet. He is just a friend." Seth inwardly laughed, knowing if Atemu heard this, he might very well feel dejected by it. Bakura himself simply grinned as a new opportunity opened up. And, because of his habit, he couldn't control himself.

"So I have a chance!?" he asked hopefully, and Seth sighed, grabbing the Millennium Rod and hitting Bakura over the head with it.

"Thief, shut up before I kill you!" he scolded, "You're talking to the _god of the Espers_ right here." Bakura growled, glowering as he looked up at Seth.

"I don't see _you_ groveling before him, Priest Pretty Pants," Bakura snorted, smirking. Seth's eye twitched angrily, and he gripped his item a bit tighter. He wanted to keep his anger in check, but it was just no use. He was stuck with _Bakura_.

"I'm a high priest! I don't _need_ to grovel!" Seth yelled back, "You're just an immature, vile thief who has no concept of humility!" Bakura raised a highly amused brow as he stared at Seth. Then, he laughed. He laughed so hard, he nearly cried.

"Me? Humility!? _You_ are going to scold _me_ about humility!? _You_, who were willing to let Sith _die_ so you didn't have to do _your job_?" Bakura asked, his grin wide with psychotic amusement, "You _must_ be kidding me!" Seth issued a low growl, angered again that anyone would actually bring that up. He was about to scream again, but this time, Bahamut finally stood up, and silence fell as both humans looked at the old man.

"As much as you boys amuse me with your constant bickering, I implore you both to silence yourselves," he said calmly, "Master Bakura, are you quite well to stand now?" Bakura blinked, unable to understand why he was addressed as such. He was no master, something that anyone could have plainly seen. But, he stood up anyway, and found that he was definitely strong enough; his nap did wonders to speed his healing up.

"I'm fine," he replied, looking around, "Worried as hell, but fine. Now, what's this about me guarding Knight Sith? Was it always like that?" Bahamut hummed a bit, and opened the door to the outside as a fresh breeze began to blow.

"Not at first, but when we realized how dangerous this situation was becoming, we appointed the task to you," Bahamut replied, smirking gently, "Now, come. I've explained all I can with the time I was given. We must make haste and return to Egypt." He walked out the door, and for a moment, both Seth and Bakura stared at each other in disbelief. Bahamut was going to help them! Bahamut, god of the Espers, was going to help _them_, a lowly priest and an even lowlier thief. It was… unbelievable!

"Do you think we could trust him?" Bakura finally asked, "What if he's working for Rath?"

"I doubt he is," Seth said calmly, putting his item away, "I don't think he'd be screwing us over with so much trouble brewing around."

"But aren't you even worried?" Bakura asked, frowning slightly. Seth, who began forward, stopped and looked down. Yes, he was worried, but only because he knew firsthand how destructive magic was. They were running out of time. He looked back at Bakura.

"Yes, but we can trust him," Seth said sternly, "I don't think Bahamut would lie to us." Bakura nodded grimly, finally agreeing. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Bahamut's voice cut through again. And, it sounded much sharper than a man his age should.

"Come along _now_, my children, or I'll leave without you both!" he called sternly. Both Seth and Bakura rushed out of the house, catching up to the old man rather quickly as he walked down the dirt path from his house into a field of wildflowers. The scent was thick, but very enticing to them both. Bakura found himself sneezing within seconds as Bahamut said, "So, now, you both realize the severity of this war, correct?"

"No," Seth said, "All you explained is why Bakura is a guardian and what happened in the past. You still haven't told us what we're fighting." Bahamut chuckled, leading them through a patch of long grass.

"That is the thing, my boy," he replied calmly, "We are fighting _nothing_, literally. Oblivion, and all its magic, cannot be explained or deciphered. It possesses objects and people with its evil, infusing them and transforming them into monsters. Only with the five most powerful of Espers were we able to seal away Oblivion, but Rath has opened it up again, resulting in monsters of all forms appearing where none shall exist." Bakura frowned again as they continued on.

"How the hell did she do that!?" he asked, "And how will you seal it up?"

"She did it out of boredom and with lack of knowledge on the forbidden spell, X-Zone," Bahamut replied, "As to stopping it… I do not have an answer. I would hope that Lady Sith would know that spell. Three of the original five Espers are sealed as statues, watching over all worlds like guardians. Only Tiamat and I remain. We… need three strong Espers in order to even attempt this ritual." Bakura looked down, not liking where this could lead. Sith knew X-Zone. He had the feeling she knew it. And, he didn't want her having to use it. He knew very well she could be sealed up in a statue, if what Bahamut just said about three of the five were true. His eyes narrowed.

"I won't let you involve Sith in this," he said sternly. Bahamut looked at him, and for a moment, they stared. Then, he smiled.

"I expected no less from her guardian," he replied gently, continuing to lead them off, "Unfortunately, she's already been involved simply because she's related to Rath. We may very well need her." Bakura looked down, sighing. He couldn't actually _stop_ Bahamut, but he didn't want to think that Sith would have to leave their world if everything being said was true. And he knew Atemu wouldn't be able to handle that either.

"Just promise me she won't die," Bakura growled, as they passed a bed of heather, which was completely foreign to him. Bahamut looked back at him again, and then looked ahead, grunting.

"That, my friend, will be up to her," he replied, and finally stopped when they came to a clearing of clawed grass. Scorch marks formed a perfect circle, and in the center of that circle was a giant, polished stone, its black surface glittering in the sunlight. Bahamut slowly walked up to it, touching it as it began to glow.

"So… why are we stopping?" Seth asked, looking around the field. There was nothing there but flowers of all kinds, in all colors, surrounding them like watchful guardians themselves. All felt silent, save for the crashing of the waves below the cliffs. Bahamut didn't answer at first; he merely closed his eyes as he touched the stone.

"…Bahamut?" Bakura called, after getting no response from the man, "Did you hear us, sir?"

"I heard you!" Bahamut snapped, opening one golden eye, "Shush! I am trying to concentrate! Transforming back into a dragon takes a lot of energy, and even you have no authority to disrupt me, Guardian Bakura." Bakura blinked, and stared as Bahamut continued to close his eyes, remaining totally silent. Then, he looked over at Seth.

"…wait, did he say he's turning into a _dragon_!?" Bakura repeated, eyes widening. Seth snorted, and laughed, nodding.

"Yes, he did," Seth confirmed, crossing his arms, "Apparently, only really strong Espers are dragons in human form. And he's pretty sure Sith is one of them." Bakura's eyes widened further at that thought. A dragon! That would definitely explain Sith's abilities in magic… and in jumping in the air. But he'd never seen her transform into a dragon, nor did she ever speak about it.

"But… if she's a dragon, how'd she…" Bakura was stopped when Bahamut growled again.

"I never said she was a dragon, boys," he said gruffly, his beard wrinkling, "I said she could _turn into_ one, but only when everything else she can do fails. Now, enough speaking. I must concentrate just a bit more!" Seth hummed, but neither he nor Bakura spoke again. They waited for moments on end, and finally, something happened that they could never explain. The sky darkened for only a moment, and sent thunderclaps on the land, dancing and twirling as they hit. But they didn't appear to hurt the flowers beyond, even as they smelled of smoke upon impact. Bahamut opened his eyes just as he himself was struck with a bolt, and though Seth screamed, his voice was muffled out by voices of over a thousand Espers above, so high in the sky that no one could ever see them. A mighty roar sounded, and wind blew, wind so powerful that it would've destroyed the palace if it blew there. Bakura found himself bracing for a buffet of gale, but none came, and slowly, so slowly, the wind died. Bakura looked up to where the old man stood, but he was no more. Instead, a huge, black dragon stood, its wings glowing with all colors, and its halo spinning atop its head. It looked down.

"B…Bahamut!?" Bakura asked, shaking with terror as he stared at the dragon.

"Do not fear me, Bakura," the dragon replied, "I am the same old man you saw before. I am simply in the form I was born with." Bakura's eye twitched as he looked on at the dragon, unable to believe he had actually seen an Esper transform. But, there it was, right in front of him. The dragon stared at them, and then huffed, lowering its head as it said, "Climb quickly. We have little time to help them." Bakura and Seth simply blinked, and then, quickly, Bakura scrambled to get onto Bahamut's neck. When Seth didn't follow, Bakura turned.

"Priest, come on. We need to hurry before Egypt gets slaughtered," he said simply. Seth sighed, and reluctantly walked over, climbing up onto Bahamut's neck. Bahamut himself rose up, and the two humans slid onto his back. Then, he jumped, his wings flapping majestically as the wind kicked up dirt and flowers, spraying them everywhere. He was in the sky within mere seconds, and ascending quickly as Bakura and Seth looked down. The land fell under them, but it was vast grasslands. No desert was in sight as they flew. Seth bit his lip as he looked on, and only one thought was swimming with him, despite all he had learned.

"How far away from Egypt _are_ we?"

--(End Chapter)

And so, after spelunking up a cliff that is obviously NOT in Egypt, Seth and Bakura face not Rath, but Bahamut himself as they reach the top. After some very confusing exposition, where Bahamut is _sure_ Sith and Sceppiro are the keys to stopping the attack, they now leave for what they hope is Egypt. But, can they get there before Rath attacks the palace? What help will Bahamut be for our heroes? And, will Sith and Sceppiro actually turn into dragons? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	18. Two Espers are More Annoying than One

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe a dragon is helping Seth. I can't, either. Dragons would hate Seth.

The palace had become amazingly silent in the short time it took for the guards to tell Atemu of Nesce's unstable condition. All form of attack had been called off for fear they would attract the new weapon the guard had spoken of. The planning had been postponed, no one having any idea what to even suggest now. Nesce was floating away from them, it seemed. Atemu glanced at Sith, but she seemed completely disoriented from the news.

"Is Lady Sith okay?" Mana asked, noticing the distant look in Sith's eyes. Atemu bit his lip. He didn't actually know how she was feeling. But, she was clearly not herself.

"I… I don't know," he replied, looking down, "I'd imagine she's doing badly, though." Cyd, who was speaking with Siamun, actually wrapped Atemu on the head when he finished speaking, glaring at the boy angrily.

"Don't know!? What do you mean, 'ya don't know!?" he exclaimed angrily, "How can ya not know how yer own friend is doing, boy!? She's sittin' right there in a fog, and the best yer gonna do is 'I don't know!?' I ought to kick you in yer royal ass!"

"Uncle!" Sceppiro scolded, his brows furrowing, "That's _not_ how we treat our allies!"

"Ah, shut yer trap, Sceppiro," Cyd retorted sharply, "You ought to talk, Mr. Let's close the Gate for all Eternity!" Sceppiro blinked, and opened his mouth to object, but no sound came out. He had no point to argue with; Cyd was actually right. But, at that moment, Sith looked up, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Both of you silence yourselves right now," she said sternly, "This is a bad situation. We do _not_ need to fight amongst each other. I implore… no, I insist, that you both cease this and let me concentrate." Atemu glanced at Sith as both Sceppiro and Cyd hung their heads.

"You have a plan?" he asked. She shook her head, but looked toward the entrance of the audience chamber as the guards scurried with various activities to attend to.

"No. Not a plan, but an inkling," she replied calmly, "There is a fourth Esper here, and a powerful one. I believe he may be able to help us." Unfortunately, the sheer size of the room caused her voice to echo, and her explanation was heard all around. Everyone stopped moving, and looked directly as her.

"…another Esper?" Isis asked, frowning, "Knight Sith, are you quite sure?"

"Yes. It is no Mystic," Sith replied, equally as stern, "It's quite far… but I believe it's trying to reach Egypt. I can't tell why, but it's coming toward us." Silence greeted those words. No one was against an Esper, but the news was shocking. Why would an Esper come out when Nesce was in so much peril? All of the priests looked at one another, and finally, Mahaado looked up at Atemu.

"Sir, what do we do?" he asked, "Prepare for its arrival?" Atemu opened his mouth to speak, but Sith shook her head, inadvertently cutting in on Atemu.

"No," she replied, and everyone looked at her again, "To do so is utter madness. That would attract Rath's weapon directly on us and wipe us all out. We… we must wait further. We're being backed into a corner; we can't prepare for anything. We do not know if this Esper is friendly or not."

"So, we sit and do nothing?" Atemu asked her, and unfortunately, she nodded grimly, clutching her sword.

"I do not approve of it either, my friend, but we've no choice," she stated firmly, "These are dangerous times, and the Esper may very well… be from Rath as well." Atemu didn't like that thought, but he agreed to it. They had lost too much already, what with Bakura and Seth. He knew rushing out there to greet an Esper was foolish. For now, he trusted Sith's advice.

--

"I've never flown this high before!" Bakura exclaimed, as Bahamut soared higher into the sky, much higher than Nesce itself had ever gone, "Espers are lucky!" Clouds appeared all around them, and as Bakura reached out to touch one, it dissolved in his hands, turning to a wet vapor. He looked at it curiously, and grinned at the sheer sight. Clouds! They were soaring through actual clouds!

"I feel sick," Seth mumbled, looking over Bahamut's side, "Bahamut, sir, how high do we need to go? And, just where _are_ we going?" Bahamut glanced back at the two with a huge, golden eye as his wings flapped mightily, blowing another cloud away as he went onward.

"We must fly high enough to avoid detection," Bahamut told him calmly, "Even with my superior power, Rath may be able to sense me. As to our destination, we must see what damage Rath has done. Only then can we know the severity of what we may be facing."

"But what about Egypt?" Bakura asked carefully, frowning, "Didn't you say you needed Sith and Sceppiro?" Bahamut snorted, and nodded his large head, opening his wings to let his body glide as he spoke to his human allies.

"Yes, I did quite so," he replied, "But I must speak with Tiamat before that. We must bring the most powerful Espers together to stop this; getting Tiamat first will save tremendous bouts of time, my children." Bakura hummed. He didn't like the thought of seeing another dragon, but if it would help them, he had no reason to complain. He simply was just worried for everyone else. He glanced at Seth, but the priest seemed only mildly annoyed with the flight as he looked down below.

"So, where _is_ Tiamat?" Seth asked, after a few silent moments of flight went by. Bahamut went just a tad higher, and Bakura shivered from the cold. They had to be over 6,000 feet from the ground at that point, and any form of building was nearly unseen from such a distance.

"Tiamat should be somewhere within Vaporus Arius," Bahamut replied, "I believe she might be resting. I certainly hope she didn't vacate the premises."

"If she's a dragon, I'm not entirely surprised if she decided to leave," Bakura stated, "Dragons don't normally live in the same place forever, do they?" Bahamut chuckled. It was obvious that Bakura knew a little bit about dragons, but even so, Bahamut knew Tiamat wouldn't leave so suddenly like that; she had been in Vaporus Arius for nearly as long as Nesce had been in this world.

"That may be true, but Tiamat and I came here for a very real reason," Bahamut explained to him, as they finally saw a floating cloud spire in the far distance, "She would not simply leave this world when such peril racks it." Bakura nodded, but something else sparked Seth's mind. Bahamut had mentioned other worlds, but why were they so vested in this one? What was special on this particular world?

"…why this world?" Seth asked, and Bakura glanced back at him, "Why did you all come here? You said there were… other worlds, right?" Bahamut stopped slowly, and looked down, to the earth very, very far below. He _had_ said that, and he never expected any human to question it. None had yet to do so.

"…yes, I did," he finally replied, "And the answer is, we do not know why. This world drew us to it. Not all of us… prefer the isolation of the Esper world. It is a huge, vast world, and Nesce is a small part of it, but we are lonely. We do not like being kept in a single world."

"But why did you come _here_?" Seth asked, more pointedly this time, "Weren't there other worlds?"

"Yes, but this world in particular… drew our attention," Bahamut told him, "When Tiamat and I first arrived, we were simply coming to see how this world connected to Oblivion. In every world, there is a small portal that connects it to Oblivion. But… this world's ability with magic, and with incorporating it into such mundane tools… amused us. What we did not realize was how close to Oblivion this world had come to."

"So you stayed to try and help us?" Bakura asked, and Bahamut nodded regretfully.

"Yes… we sealed the portal into one of the floating rings of Nesce, situated on an island that floats around it. We did not realize that, if we brought Nesce here, Claude Winchester would inadvertently break the seal by sending Rath to remain there," Bahamut said sadly, "I don't think he even realized it… the poor man. He was by far one of our best soldiers and rulers." Bakura looked down again. Claude Winchester was Sith's father; it was no wonder she felt personally responsible for what was going on. Nor was it a wonder that Sceppiro went insane after Claude's death. It wasn't just the loss of his sister; he was living too close to Oblivion itself without realizing it.

"…how long has Rath opened the portal?" Bakura suddenly asked, and his eyes narrowed, "Why did it take so long for you to do anything?" Seth glared at him, angry that Bakura would be so disrespectful to Bahamut, but the dragon chuckled again, once again making way for the cloud spire ahead.

"We do not know, nor did we understand the extent of her madness," Bahamut told him gently, "It was probably not that long ago. Perhaps one hundred years." Bakura's eyes widened. That was a huge amount of time to a human! In fact, in most cases, it was an _entire_ lifetime!

"One hundred years!? And you don't think that's long at _all_!?" Bakura exclaimed, and then whispered to Seth, "These Espers can have some really messed up delusions. Between Bahamut's age and Rath's insanity, you'd think they're prone to dementia." Seth snorted, as that may have been true enough. But, he knew firsthand how long Espers lived. A century really _was_ nothing to an Esper.

"So, how bad is the situation?" Seth asked, "How much hope do we have?" Bahamut glanced back again, and sped up, extending his wings as they came closer to the spire. He circled as he descended onto the courtyard, which was entirely made of hardened clouds. The tower itself seemed to be made of stone, but how it stood on a cloud was unknown as Bahamut landed, sending wafts of vapor flying in his arrival. Seth and Bakura hopped off.

"Hope? I would say, with both Lady Sith and Lord Sceppiro, we have a much better chance than you did before," Bahamut replied calmly, "But it depends on how many Espers can help us." Seth nodded, but Bakura simply looked up at the tower. It poked through the sky, to the point that the tip wasn't even visible. It certainly looked big enough for a dragon, but how did no one ever see it before? And, where _was_ Tiamat?

"Has anyone ever been up here?" Bakura asked, slightly in awe of the sheer size of the tower. Bahamut chuckled, and shook his head.

"No. At least, humans have not," he replied, and looked up, "Tiamat, we must talk! Come out!" Seth and Bakura expected to hear a large roar of annoyance, but none sounded. They waited for moments, but silence merely fell. Then, there was a large rumble. Another dragon, this time a lighter shade of blue, with green eyes, poked her head out of the tower, looking down at Bahamut. She blinked.

"Bahamut, my friend? What is so urgent that you would disrupt me?" she asked. Bahamut continued to look up at her.

"It is about Oblivion," Bahamut replied, and Tiamat gasped, "It has been unsealed in this world. Surely, you have noticed the influx?" Tiamat hummed, and jumped out of the window, landing in a mighty crash next to Bahamut. She nodded slowly.

"Yes, I did feel a disturbance in the air, but I thought perhaps it was the humans trying to use our magic," Tiamat admitted, looking down, "But… Oblivion is unsealed again… Bahamut, does this mean we must seal it up like the last time? We cannot sacrifice any of our kind! We are already dwindling and dividing amongst ourselves!" Bahamut sighed, closing his eyes at Tiamat's terrified tone. Bakura looked down as well. He too didn't like the idea of sacrificing Espers to seal Oblivion.

"I know, my dearest friend, but we may have no choice," Bahamut told her, "From what these young humans say, the one who opened Oblivion is already descending into madness. She is destroying this world as we speak. We must do something before this world is lost." Tiamat's eyes narrowed, and she snorted. She had been feeling such a disturbance for some time, but she had never once thought that something so drastic could happen. This was by far the last thing she wanted to hear.

"I agree, but what has happened thus far?" she asked, and quickly, Bakura and Seth told her what they had experienced, right from the beginning. She listened intently as Seth spoke of Sith's departure toward the Lion's Gate, of their encounter with Sceppiro, of the attack on Nesce, and of their rush back to Egypt. Then, Bakura told her of his encounter with the three priests, of what Sith had said to them in Nesce, of his time trapped in Nesce, and of his experience in Kul Elna. When they both finished, Tiamat hummed again and said, "That is quite a tale for two humans. I am glad you have both Lady Sith and Lord Sceppiro on your side. If they were under Rath's control, you would all be dead by now." Seth's skin paled. That was a good thing, indeed. He had no wish to die quickly.

"So, are we going to stop this?" Seth asked, "What do you make of it, Tiamat?" The female dragon eyed him carefully, and then looked at Bahamut. They both nodded.

"It has been an especially grueling journey, considering Rath's force," Tiamat replied calmly, looking at the humans before her again, "I am surprised, Guardian Bakura, that you survived against Rath for that time. It proves we did not choose wrongly." Bakura nodded, but his frown told Tiamat he wasn't happy with that praise. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to be Sith's guardian, he just didn't know _why_ she needed one, and _when_ it was decided he was it.

"But why me and not the pharaoh?" Bakura asked her, "He is her friend. I am just a thief."

"Atemu is simply an ally. He and Sith met due to political and sociologically bonds between their families. Take those away, and they truly do not have much in common," Tiamat replied, "He guards her because that is what their fathers asked for. Even though Sith is far older, she considers herself his friend because she has been his friend since he was small. He _thinks_ she is his childhood friend." Bakura looked away. So Atemu didn't even know Sith's actual age. Nor did he appear to know everything about his father's agreement, either. It was no wonder he went insane when Sith left his kingdom; he was certain he'd break his own father's wish. Bakura sighed. If he found out the truth, it would confuse or crush him.

"Does she know?" Bakura asked, "Sith? Does she know all of this?"

"She does," Tiamat replied, "That is why this seems so unreal to you both. She chose not to share it with anyone."

"Why would she choose that?" Seth asked, at first becoming angry, but then, his expression softened when he thought longer on it, "…does she not trust us?"

"Espers age in a variety of ways, and some Espers take thousands of years before they age to an adult form. Because of Claude's agreement, he used magic to force her body to change at the same rate a human's would," Bahamut explained grimly, and Bakura noted the annoyance in the dragon's growl, "If she told you, you would never have believed her. She felt hiding it was best."

"I was _wondering_ why she knew so much even though she looked so young," Seth mumbled. It made sense, what these dragons were saying. It'd explain her ease with weapons, and her mastery with them even though she looked too young to handle them all so well. She barely looked past 21, but she was over 1,000. Seth's frown deepened. Just how long had this seal of Oblivion been unlocked?

"In a way, Claude doomed his daughter by forcing that," Tiamat said sadly, "Which is why things are turning so badly now. Rath used that to her advantage. She knew facing a child would be a cowardice move, so she waited until Sith was older to get her revenge."

"But this isn't Sith's fault!" Bakura exclaimed suddenly, and Tiamat looked over at him curiously, "I know why Rath is doing this, but this isn't Sith's fault. Or Sceppiro's. It's not their fault Rath is such a bitch that she was sealed away before she destroyed everything. I think she should grow up and leave us alone." Seth rolled his eyes at the lack of Bakura's logic, but Tiamat simply smiled gently at the thief. He saw that she looked… sad. Bakura's eyes watered, and then he just looked away as he finished with, "This isn't any of our faults, so why go after any of us?"

"Because not all Espers are mature enough to take responsibility for their actions," Tiamat told him as gently as she could, "Speaking of responsibility, we've told you what we could and why we're here now. I believe we should get going once more, before Rath turns her attention back to Egypt and decimates it with her new weapon." Everyone nodded, and along with Bahamut, Tiamat bent her neck down to allow the two humans passage. Seth climbed onto Bahamut's back, as Bakura climbed onto Tiamat, and with a mighty flap of their dragon wings, the two dragons were airborne again, Seth and Bakura hanging on as tightly as they could. They jumped off of the cloud courtyard, descending gently as the green sea of grass below came back into their view. Bakura smiled.

"So, where exactly did we land, anyway?" he asked, "I mean, we never exactly figured that out, did we?" Bahamut laughed. That was true; he never actually answered that question. He decided now might be the best idea to do so. They had a rather long adventure ahead of them.

"Currently? We're in a huge grassland far to the east of Egypt," Bahamut replied, "It has a name, but we Espers call it Ruuok Point, or 'Grassland Point' if you want a literal translation. Originally, I wanted to bring Nesce _here_, because when it's not covered in snow, Nesce is very much like this continent, but Claude had different ideas. He asked we move it to Egypt. So, I did when I found no problems with it."

"Yeah, until you realized he wanted to move it so he could secure Sith with a marriage," Seth mumbled, "You should've seen that coming when you saw what a barren wasteland Egypt is." Bahamut snorted, and Bakura glared, eye twitching. He wanted to nudge Seth as hard as he could in the ribs, but he was just too far away! He had the audacity to insult both Bahamut _and_ their _beautiful_ land of Egypt! Silently, Bakura wished Atemu were there _just_ so he could see Seth get his ass kicked for that.

"Well, we had a feeling Claude had an ulterior motive, but we didn't think it would have been such a bad thing. Both Sith and Atemu would have been influential," Bahamut stated, amused with Seth's comments, "The power they both would have wielded toward the people would have been rather astounding. It would have made this war impossible to accomplish, if they actually saw to get married. Rath would never have been able to separate Sith from the kingdom." Bakura hummed, but his smile faded rapidly as Bahamut explained the situation from Sith and Atemu's side. It seemed like everything could have been avoided if they kept their fathers' deal. Seth, though seeing the point somewhat, once again saw the opportunity to slam Sith around.

"So, this _is_ her fault?" he asked, and when Bakura glared at him, he laughed and said, "You heard what they said, thief! Sith's the one who doesn't _want_ to marry the pharaoh! He's all for it, but because she doesn't agree, it won't happen! Therefore, the blame is on her!" Bakura simply growled, giving the priest a very flat stare as Tiamat laughed at that form of reasoning. Even though Bakura was no Esper, even he knew Sith wasn't at fault for a disagreement.

"Right… what world did you think that argument worked in?" Bakura asked flatly, "The pharaoh doesn't blame Sith for this. I don't even think they knew what would happen with such a refusal. So, why are you? Is it because you just want to blame Sith again because we're in another bad situation? Or are you really feeling this is her fault?" Seth opened his mouth to shout a rebuttal, but when he saw the grin Bakura gave him, he froze. He _knew_ Bakura was right. He knew that _Bakura himself_ knew he was right. As Bahamut glanced back at him with one golden eye, he _knew_ the Espers felt Bakura was right, too, even though _they_ had no idea what actually happened! He wanted to scream for it, too.

"Why would he blame Sith for this situation?" Tiamat asked Bakura, and the thief proceeded to tell the tale of how Seth wove a web of lies to get out of one tiny job that, at this point, Seth felt should have been forgotten. But, no one would ever let his one shirk at a duty go. When Bakura was done, Tiamat snorted and said, "It appears Rath isn't the only one who needs a lesson in responsibility." Bakura nodded in agreement, but this time, Seth definitely made his voice heard.

"Whoa, wait a damn minute, thief!" he yelled defensively, "It appears _you_ forgot _your_ wrong-doings as well!" Bakura raised an amused eyebrow as he looked at Seth.

"Really? What wrong-doings are those?" he asked, his grin widening, "If you mean the theft of Mahaado's wallet, that was simply business. I _am_ a thief, after all. Or, if you mean hitting on him at that hovel we called a town, I was drunk off my rocker." Seth rolled his eyes again at that defense.

"You seemed awfully sober when we found you," Seth mumbled, "Anyway, the wrong-doing _I_ speak of is you hitting on Sith _constantly_ despite her _telling you to leave her alone_. Honestly, you really aren't very good at listening to her, so I can't see why you're her guardian, either." Bakura blinked, and this time, had to admit that Seth brought up a good point. He didn't actually heed most of Sith's warnings or threats. Mainly because she never acted on them, but that was beside the point. He sighed.

"Fine, fine, why don't we both agree we find the other at fault and leave Sith out of this?" he offered, hoping his attempt at negotiation worked, "Technically, we both drove her batty, so why not say it's each other's fault? That way, you can still blame someone other than yourself, and it won't be Sith." Seth narrowed his eyes, considering that idea. It was ridiculous, but it would shut Bakura up, and right then, that's all that Seth wanted. He nodded.

"Agreed," he said, "Now, shut your mouth and don't ever tell anyone how irresponsible I was for one mistake ever again, or I'll take the Millennium Rod and shove it up your spine." Bakura snorted, feeling that Seth would never have been able to pull that off, but let the man have his silence nonetheless. Tiamat simply shook her head, and Bakura knew she found their argument to be… well, stupid. He didn't blame her, either, but he just wanted Seth to leave Sith alone. Bahamut was the only one to offer his opinion.

"Humans are petty," he growled, "You're fighting over whether you can blame Lady Sith for _your_ mistake?" Bakura snorted again. That did pretty much sum Seth up.

"I'm trying to stop him from blaming her, Bahamut," Bakura said calmly, "In fact, everyone knows it was _his_ fault, but for some reason, he doesn't seem to understand that." Seth gave the thief a flat look as Bahamut simply hummed at the thought. Bakura, likewise, flashed a grin as Tiamat descended further downwards.

"Humans are very odd," she commented, "We Espers are used to taking responsibility for our actions. It is the sign of a warrior's soul, and of the strongest spirit. Why does he refuse to do so?"

"Actually, I don't know," Bakura replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Logically, it makes sense to just let it go, but he insists it's not his fault. It's annoying, if you ask me." Seth twitched as Bakura continued to speak. Despite sounding for once like an intelligent young man, Seth found he hated Bakura more and more as he spoke to the dragons about the priest.

"Hey, stop it! Stop talking like I'm not even here!" Seth ordered, "First of all, _you_ all are the ones unwilling to let my mistakes go! I'm perfectly fine with forgetting them! Second, it's just as annoying hearing _you_ bring it up again and again! You, of all people!" This time, silence fell as the dragons stopped, with Bakura glaring furiously at Seth. They had this conversation already, but it appeared Seth would need a reminder. Tiamat glanced nervously at the thief, and despite him not being an Esper, she did feel his power rise, just a little bit. He was angry again.

"Then grow up and shut up," Bakura simply said, and his power dropped back to normal, "Let's go, Tiamat." Tiamat nodded, and they continued onward, with Bahamut and Seth farther behind. Soon, Tiamat was gliding on top of the grass, their green tips tickling her light blue belly. Bakura just took in the view, having nothing else to say to any of them. His anger often left him speechless for a little while. Meanwhile, Seth sighed, laying his arms against Bahamut's neck as they soared slightly above Tiamat.

"I don't understand why they can't let it go and leave me alone," he said, though it was meant for just himself. But, Bahamut did hear, and he did respond. His response, though warranted, made Seth want to throw himself off the dragon.

"Because children must be reminded that mistakes never go unpunished. Whatever you did, you obviously haven't been punished for. Despite Bakura's thievery, he still… believes in justice. He doesn't feel you've had yours," Bahamut replied calmly, looking down at the thief carefully, "You are still a child in his eyes. A rather spoiled one, too." Seth growled. Bakura had a lot of nerve thinking that way, since he wasn't much older than Seth. And if he was, he certainly didn't look it.

"I can understand the other priests, but why _Bakura_?" Seth specified, "Why is _he_ constantly bringing up my mistakes? He's done it more than anyone else. Am I really that horrible?" Bahamut eyed Seth carefully, wondering just how and why the boy couldn't see the answers for himself. He was a very dense human, in _this_ Esper's eyes.

"Like I just said, he believes in justice. He doesn't think your mistake served anything other than to help this war along. That _has_ to make him very angry, not just for pushing them all into a war they shouldn't have been involved in, but for pushing Sith into it before she even knew what was going on," Bahamut answered carefully, beginning to descend himself, "In a way, you served Rath unwittingly. He can't forgive that… until she's brought down. Tiamat, shall we land?" Seth looked away as Tiamat looked up at Bahamut and nodded, the two of them slamming onto the ground with their powerful dragon legs. He didn't want to accept that answer from Bakura, but he had to now that it came directly from the Espers, all of whom were caught in this war as well. They were _all_ angry with him. Bakura climbed off of Tiamat as Seth left Bahamut, and the thief stalked over to the priest, who looked at him quietly, and then looked down.

"Just to let you know, I won't make you look like a complete idiot in front of anyone again," Bakura growled, walking past Seth toward a patch of wild daisies, "I just felt Tiamat deserved to know who she was dealing with and why we're so screwed right now." Seth looked up at him, and frowned. He really did piss Bakura off, and this wasn't the first time that day. His fists clenched.

"I'm sorry," he said, and Bakura stopped, slowly turning around, "I'm sorry I caused this, okay? I just wanted to avoid Knight Sith and her idea of dealing with reconnaissance missions." Bakura glared hard and critically at Seth. He didn't want to accept what felt like an empty apology, but if he had any chance of getting home, he had to try to get along. He snorted, and turned back toward the flowers.

"I won't believe you until you apologize to _her_," Bakura said, and picked one of the flowers, "You can say sorry to _us_ all you want, but not once did I ever hear you apologize sincerely to _her_, and _she's_ the one who's paid for your half-assed mistake. If you want us to stop, go make amends with your little rival and stop blaming her for this." Seth nodded, and turned back to the dragons… except that they were no longer there. No, in their place stood the old man from before, and next to him stood an equally old woman, dressed in very much the same way, except her robe was blue, not red. Her face was uncovered, unlike the man, and her white hair streamed to the ground. She looked at Seth, and grinned.

"You don't recognize us?" she asked, and though her voice sounded old, the amusement was familiar. It was Tiamat.

"How come you can't stay as dragons?" Bakura asked, pocketing his flower, "Are we going some place where humans are?" Tiamat's grin widened, and she nodded.

"Good guess, Bakura. Indeed, we are," she replied, "It is a small settlement, but we will know how far from Egypt we are. Come, let us go. Bakura, you will be our 'son' once we arrival and they ask for our names. Seth, you will be Bakura's 'cousin.' Understood?" Bakura nodded, but Seth frowned. He didn't like that set-up at all, but look-wise, it did make more sense. Bakura had white hair, just like they did, though theirs was simply from age. Seth reluctantly nodded, and with the Espers and the thief, set off down a small dirt path. He could barely see a small town in the distance, but that had to be where they were heading. He just hoped they didn't stand out too much, and if they did, they'd find a way to blend into wherever they happened to be going.

"After all, we look more like vagabonds now, than actual townsfolk."

--(End Chapter)

And so, with two Espers now on their side, Seth and Bakura wander into a grassland only to find they're literally _a continent_ away from Egypt! Desperately, they continue the search to get home before Rath decimates it. But, what can they find in the city Bahamut is leading them to? How does Atemu, Sith, and the others fare back at the palace? And, what is Rath doing currently during their adventure? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	19. Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of Haste

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe Seth hasn't been eaten by a dragon. I can. Seth would make a terrible meal.

"Okay, this is killing me," Malik mumbled, as everyone within the pharaoh's court sat in the audience chamber as the sky outside darkened, and then seemed to redden just slightly when thunder crashed, "How long are we going to be waiting?" He looked to the pharaoh, but he knew ultimately, that decision would be handed to Sith. After all, Sith was an Esper, and they were now versed in Esper affairs. Sith herself seemed hesitant, as though trying to search something in the ethers, but unable to find what she needed.

"You need to learn patience, sir," Sith replied calmly, though her frown was deep with disapproval at the question, "This is a delicate matter, and acting too rashly _will_ result in death. Let me say that now, if I haven't already. This is a fragile war we're heading into, one that was started on jealousy, not logic. To go and act without caution, Malik, is like sending a lamb to the slaughterhouse. I refuse to do so."

"But we can't do nothing!" Malik cried, and Sith drew her sword at his sudden movement, "Lady Sith, we've done _nothing_ since your return! We must act! Egypt's in danger! Don't you care!?" Sith's eyes flashed an angry red, for only a moment, but Malik caught it. He knew he had just set her off.

"My pace is slow, young man, but do not _ever_ question the care I hold for my allies," Sith growled dangerously, and just then, Atemu glanced at her with worry. She sounded much older than he had remembered as she continued, "You do not understand the workings of war. You do not understand the workings of Espers. You understand nothing but your country, and while that is noble, you should not question my mastery of this. Now, silence that tongue or I will feed it to my hound." Malik shivered, and backed away, bowing to show he knew his place. Sith's calm returned, but the effect she placed lingered as everyone looked at her with worry. Even Sceppiro seemed concerned with her words.

"Calm down there, Sithy," Cydandilus said gruffly, and she looked over at the older man, "These morons won't do what ya say just 'cause yer a queen and a knight. Ain't no need to work yerself up over it, neither." Sith smiled slightly, but Atemu could tell she didn't like being questioned. He also noticed something in her had changed since her return from the ruins. But what was it?

"Uncle, we can't have anyone on our side making decisions too quickly," Sith replied gently, "I am doing what I feel is best."

"An' that's good. But you gotta remember, Sithy: Humans are humans. They ain't gonna understand why we wait so much for shit to happen," Cyd reminded her, "I ain't saying we should manipulate 'em. Hell, we'd be as bad as Rath, but don't forget our differences." Sith looked down. She knew all too well the differences between their races, but she still had to do her best to protect everyone… right? Atemu glanced at her, and when she didn't speak, he spoke for her.

"Sith, don't worry so much," he told her calmly, smiling, "No one will act without _my_ approval, and I trust your judgment on this. Try as they might, all they can do is question you." Sith smirked, and nodded. Then, her smirk faded. Even if that was true, it only applied to Egypt. Anyone outside of the palace gates were free to do what they wished, and that could very well lead to Egypt's downfall.

"I pray that, as a whole, Egypt understands the delicacy of our problem," she said quietly, looking out the window. Her thoughts went directly to Seth, hoping he had been able to escape Rath.

--

Meanwhile, for Bakura and Seth, they had just come to the town Bahamut led them to, and to their surprise, Bahamut and Tiamat fit right in. They didn't, but Tiamat explained why that was to the guards by the gate, and they simply let them all pass through. The town seemed to be buzzing with life, but what really caught Seth's attention were that the occupants of the town were Espers as well. Only a few humans lived here.

"Please tell me this isn't a place run by Espers," he mumbled, "I thought you said we were going to where _humans_ lived." Bahamut glanced back at Seth, and grunted, his long, white beard shaking as he spoke.

"I did, and we are," he answered gruffly, as they walked through the dirt street, "This is a town where magic's accepted freely, and races live in harmony with each other. It's also an outpost for travelers, so any news from other continents would reach here relatively quickly." Seth nodded, and now knew why they had stopped here. Bahamut wanted to hear what was going on and what to expect before getting to Egypt. And, in honesty, Seth wanted that as well. They walked to a small tavern down a quiet road, and carefully, Tiamat and Bahamut slipped in, with Bakura trailing slowly behind them. Seth blinked, and ran in after he realized he was alone. A sharp scent of juniper and cinnamon hit him, but it was refreshing. He breathed deeply, and smiled. His mind felt at peace from such a strong scent.

"Oy! Good day, Rougnes!" said the barkeeper, a young human male with light brown hair, "Traveling out again, eh? Bring your family this time?" Rougnes turned to the man, and smiled, nodding his head. It was clear that Tiamat had never actually been here before. Or, if she had, she had never come into the bar.

"Yes, Mikral, I did," Bahamut said through his dry voice, "This is my wife, Illinia, and my son, Bakura. Oh, and his cousin, Seth. We're not staying long, though. Just came in for the word on Egypt." The man, Mikral, tilted his head as he put a glass down, filling it with water and handing it to the old man. Seth noticed a look of confusion in Mikral's eyes.

"Egypt? Why would you head there?" Mikral asked, "Word is there's a war brewing around there. Something about the Espers and the kingdom of Nesce being stormed." Bakura and Seth exchanged nervous glances. If word was getting out, Rath would have a field day with targets to choose from. They both hoped it didn't reach into the continents to the west.

"Is that so?" Tiamat asked, grinning with amusement, "We've heard similar before. What be the general opinion on that? Is it too dangerous to get in?"

"Well, no, but I hear there are monsters appearing all over the desert," Mikral replied, a small frown forming, "The Espers already took two warriors from Egypt into custody, so I'm guessing there'll be a war fairly soon. Unless, of course, Nesce is moving to gather other resources. I heard the castle's floating." Bakura snorted. That was all too true; Nesce was literally breaking apart thanks entirely to Rath. Bahamut hummed thoughtfully, if only to make it appear this was news to him, and then tapped his fingers on the counter as he sipped the water he was offered.

"Any word on if the attacks have already started?" he asked, and Mikral shook his head as he dusted a plate for a customer to the right.

"Nothing. Egypt's hesitating to make a stand," he replied grimly, "They lost Lady Sith not too long ago. Maybe she hasn't returned? The whole thing has us worried, but what can a small settlement like us do?" Bahamut searched Mikral's eyes carefully, and nodded. The man wasn't lying about anything he had just stated. Bahamut finished his water, and shook Mikral's hand.

"Thanks for the word, Mik," Bahamut said, giving him a gold coin, "If anything else happens, find a way to let me know." Mikral nodded, pocketing the money he had received.

"Can do, Rougnes," he replied, and waved as they all left the tavern, heading back into the bright sunlight of the outdoors. Bahamut harrumphed, and began leading his team through the city, ignoring when people called out to his human identity. Bakura glanced around at everyone, and guessed that Bahamut was well known for something here, though what that could've been wasn't known to the thief. But, what he also noticed was that some of the girls took notice to _him_ rather than to Bahamut, and his cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Er… hi?" Bakura said, waving back to them. They giggled, and as they ran off, Seth smacked Bakura on the head, almost causing the flustered thief to fall over.

"This isn't a time to be flirting with women!" the priest hissed angrily, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Hey! _They_ were the ones getting _my_ attention!" Bakura retorted, rubbing the back of his head, "Besides, I don't _need_ to flirt with them. I wasn't even intending to!" Seth's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe that one for even a second as they turned a corner, leaving the street for a wider, even quieter road. Water began to span across the horizon, and Seth realized they were walking toward the docks, something he hadn't expected.

"I'll believe that when you settle down and marry," Seth said to Bakura, and then to Bahamut, he asked, "Why are we going to the docks?" The old man snorted, and then blinked as he looked over the ports, where many boats laid in waiting for their captains. He eyed a nice, bronze one that seemed to float _on top _of the water rather than in it.

"To catch a boat," the old man said simply, smirking as he saw sailors unloading cargo into one of the warehouses. Seth blinked. Again, he didn't expect that answer at all.

"Why are we taking a boat?" he asked flatly, "Isn't it faster to fly to Egypt?"

"While it would, you heard what Mikral said," Tiamat told him calmly, "With a war starting up, and everyone afraid to make a move, our appearance might create hostility. We need to avoid that, so we need to take a safe, quiet route inside. Boats are the best bet. But where to find one…" Bakura looked around the docks as Tiamat and Bahamut eyed the sailors working near the warehouses. All of the boats were fairly small, but then again, this was a small settlement. He doubted they needed to stock too much for their shops. Seth glanced over, and knew exactly what Bakura was planning.

"Don't you dare try that," he whispered, and Bakura simply grinned, showing just a sliver of a knife from under his tattered cloak.

"I could probably pull it off," he said proudly, "Besides, it might actually impress Sith, and I think she needs a laugh." Seth's eyes widened. If there was one thing he knew of Sith, it was her love of the law… or her tendency to disregard it when needed. She wouldn't have ever approved of Bakura's idea, even on her life.

"Do it and one of us will end up arresting you," Seth warned, "Don't be an idiot, thief. We can't up and steal a boat." Bakura simply stared flatly, and within fifteen minutes, they were all sailing on a small, wooden boat off of the docks and toward the quiet sea, with Bahamut and Tiamat searching the horizon. Seth merely glared into the water and bitterly said, "I can't _believe_ you actually stole this. How in hell did you convince our two Espers to let you do it!?"

"When you're a thief, you learn many jobs that might actually help you," Bakura said with a grin, "I was a pirate for a little over a year, back when I was around 17 years of age. Captain Sanark taught me a hell of a lot. A good Esper, that man…" Seth's eyes widened again, and he looked at Bakura seriously.

"You knew an Esper!?" he asked, and Bakura nodded, looking at his reflection in the placid water as the ripples from their boat disturbed it from behind them.

"Why do you think I know so much about Espers?" Bakura asked, "I practically grew up with them. Hell, I've known Sith for longer than anyone actually expects. Met her when she was a kid. Or at least _looked_ like one… damn her father." Seth bit his lip at how bitter Bakura sounded as he spoke of Claude Winchester. He didn't entirely blame the thief, either. Claude had manipulated Bahamut's urgency, even putting his own daughter at risk where he thought he was doing what was best for her. And it was blowing up now.

"She never spoke of you," Seth told him quietly. Bakura snorted softly, and a small line of pink crossed his cheeks.

"She didn't know," Bakura replied, "I'm a good five years older than she is _meant_ to be, so to her, I was just an 'older' kid. Some little brats were giving her trouble in the courtyard, though, and you know me. I have a screwed sense of justice. I scared them away for her. She didn't remember, but I did."

"Why?" Seth asked him, looking over with genuine concern, "If she didn't remember you, and you were that much… older… why bother remembering it? What was so important about it?" Bakura paused, unable to find a good answer. He didn't know why, it was just a memory that stuck with him. Maybe because it was one of the few times a good deed came out just as that: good. He sighed.

"I wish I knew," Bakura said wistfully, "What intrigued me most was her maturity. She spoke with an eloquence I never expected from a small girl. I couldn't help but wonder if she was an Esper, too. Now I know she definitely was." He looked up at the darkening sky as the boat continued toward Egypt, though they were still a ways off, "She was the first I'd ever met."

"…she respects you, you know," Seth said quietly, and Bakura looked over, shocked with what he said, "She was furious when you were gone. She even told the pharaoh off when he made the mistake of accepting your death. I'm surprised she wasn't fired, but she respects you more than most of us." Bakura's gaze returned to the water, not sure if he could handle hearing that. He was happy; nothing made him respect himself more than knowing someone like Sith actually respected him, but she had gone against their king, and that had to have cost her.

"She… she does?" Bakura asked, unable to find anything else to say. When Seth nodded grimly, a smile crossed his lips as he said, "I'm… glad." Tiamat snorted, having heard their conversation, and both of them looked at her.

"It seems many interesting things happened that Claude couldn't control," she said in amusement, and when Bakura asked what she meant, she said, "Oh, nothing, Bakura. I'm just sitting here, wondering what Sith's _next_ brilliant move against her father's pact she'll make." Bakura blinked, unable to understand what Tiamat was saying, but Seth frowned. Sith didn't go against any pact. Their fathers had _died_. They had no choice; Atemu and Sith's betrothal had been nulled.

"As much as I hate cheering for Sith, she didn't do anything wrong," Seth told the old woman, who laughed, "I'm serious! You're starting to make Sith sound like an irresponsible jerk! She had no choice! It was nulled!"

"You'd think upsetting her father's deal would make her feel guilty," Tiamat replied, half-amused with what Seth said, "But she seems to have forgotten it entirely. I wonder… if she felt freedom from her father's death… in just a small way." Bakura's eyes narrowed furiously, knowing that her father's death left her in a wreck, but then Tiamat ended with, "Even though it broke her… it freed her from something she didn't agree to. Bakura, that is freedom for her. Don't forget that." Bakura growled, and unsheathed a knife in his cloak, holding it dangerously close to Tiamat. Seth gasped, but the old woman simply watched Bakura calmly.

"She would _never_ use her father's death to benefit herself!" Bakura exclaimed angrily, his hand shaking as he tried to hold the knife steady, "How can you say such a terrible thing!? Do you even _know_ her or are you _assuming_!?" Seth grabbed Bakura's arm, trying to stop him from making a terrible mistake, but Tiamat simply sighed, taking the knife right out of Bakura's shaking fingers. She threw the knife over the side of the boat.

"You assume an awful lot about Sith yourself, Bakura," Tiamat reminded him sternly, her eyes no longer holding the same amusement it had just moments ago, "I'm not saying she's a manipulative beast like her cousin. I'm merely saying that if she has anything positive to think of on her father's death, freedom from marriage is one of them. Unlike most girls, Sith has no wish to be married. At least, not now." Bakura frowned. His anger calmed, but now his worry rose just a bit. Sith was technically a queen; why wouldn't she want to be married _at all_?

"Why not?" he asked quietly, "Is she… happy?"

"Happiness is a variable term, Bakura," Tiamat said with a sigh, "Much like beauty and intelligence. Sith won't be happy to have a family right now, because she already has too much to lose. She's already lost nearly everything that means anything to her. As to marriage… I don't think she wants to marry a human. Your lifespan is so small compared to ours. She would be alone before she even understood what true happiness was." Bakura looked down into the water again, unable to say anything to that. It was no wonder Sith was so irked with compliments regarding her appearance. Seth joined him, and Bakura could tell even he felt bad for what Tiamat said.

"So, she won't marry to avoid having it ripped out of her," Seth concluded, and Tiamat nodded wisely, "That's… sad. I think it's a mistake to think that. Even if we die, Sith should still… think about marriage. We're not bad guys."

"If you force this opinion on her, you're no better than her father," Tiamat warned sternly, crossing her arms, "Let her make her choices, Seth. She might surprise you with what she chooses." Seth looked from Tiamat, and then to Bakura. Bakura glanced back and gave a tiny nod, to show he agreed with the old woman. Then, he turned back to the water silently, heavily in his thoughts. Seth frowned. Whatever was going on, it was bothering Bakura. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bakura beat him to it as he finally said something.

"How badly… has being in Egypt screwed up her life?" Bakura asked quietly, and everyone, even Bahamut, looked at him. He looked up from the water, his eyes wet with tears as he said, "Think about it. She comes here and is pretty much forced to be the pharaoh's friend. She's 'raised' thinking she has to marry him when she might not want to, and then their fathers die and everything gets screwed up because no one else knows what to do and assumes everything will go on with her being the new queen. People either think she's the best hero in the world or their worst nightmare, and I sure as hell didn't help by hitting on her all the time. Then her idiot of a cousin comes and basically puts all of the blame for everything in Nesce on her specifically. She must be screwed up at this point, and ready to snap. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been forced to come here." He looked back down into the water, and Seth sighed, patting his back. It was obvious he felt strongly about this. Tiamat herself smiled weakly, walking over to the young thief.

"It appears… that you understand our dilemma _now_," Tiamat commented, "As in regards to Lady Sith. Yes, being here has warped her a bit in terms of knowing what she actually wants, but this would have happened no matter where she was. The only difference is that she knows you all. Rath would have attacked even if Egypt never existed."

"At least her father would've been alive to protect her," Bakura growled, eyes narrowing as he angrily looked down to his reflection again, "Sceppiro wouldn't have gone insane with loneliness. And I… wouldn't have had to put her through finding a sorry ass like me." Angrily, he threw another knife into the water, shattering his reflection as the boat sped onwards. Tiamat watched him silently, and then sighed again when Bakura took out a third knife. She took it away from him.

"Sith chose that one all on her own," she reminded him, "You put her through nothing. She chose to send help for you. She chose to join you all. She chose to let Seth make his mistakes. Don't make the mistake of feeling entirely responsible, Bakura. She's made a lot of choices, even if you haven't been around for any of them." Bakura hummed, but his eyes didn't leave the water. Even if that was true, he still felt responsible for her attack. Tiamat sensed this and finished with, "Don't feel bad for that. If you want to feel bad, feel bad that you couldn't physically be there. But don't feel bad for her looking for you. That was her choice."

"Why would she choose that, though?" Bakura asked, and Seth glanced at him, "Am I… that important?"

"Even if you aren't, Sith's duty is to protect people," Seth told him sternly, "She was doing her job… though I can't help but wonder why Rath would have targeted you. Did _she_ know you're a guardian for the Espers?" Bahamut let go of the wheel and grunted, causing the others to look at him quizzically. He shook his head, his beard shaking as he did so.

"No. No Esper knows another's guardian unless they're told," he said grimly, "She chose Bakura because he is Sith's friend. She needs Atemu alive, but she knew Sith would go after Bakura." Bakura looked away again, and for an hour, nothing more was said. Seth could feel the tension in Bakura rising, but he didn't comment on it. Bakura had a lot to think about, and Seth also had things to work out. He still had to make a report, and he didn't know which should have been reported first: Rath's weapon, or her moves for attack. Sighing, he leaned on the railing of the ship's deck, looking over the horizon.

"I hope we get there before any damage is done," he said quietly, "Sith was worried when I left. I think she expects an attack soon, and if the pharaoh gets too worried, he'll order an attack." Bakura glanced at Seth critically. He knew Atemu could be sloppy, but he wasn't entirely careless. All of them had discussed that being defensive would be best.

"You really think he'd do that?" the thief asked. Seth nodded slowly, as though hesitant to answer.

"If Rath posed enough of a threat, I'd imagine he might," Seth replied grimly, his shoulders tensing, "We were already in a bad place when I left. We don't even know where Rath is right now. If she's come back and attacked Egypt, Atemu won't just do nothing. I'm not saying he'd be hasty, but we could be heading into an all-out assault right now." Bakura's frown worsened. He didn't like the thought of that at all; Egypt was powerful, but Rath had Ultima on her side. As did Sith, and Bakura knew that if both Espers used such a spell, it'd decimate the continent, and possibly a good chunk of the world at large.

"Then let's start praying," he finally agreed, turning back to Bahamut, "How long until we get there?" The old man fiddled with something in his pocket, and then grunted as he put it back. Bakura narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was playing with, and then looked around, noticing they were going much, much slower than before.

"If I can get my damn spells to work, we would be there within the hour," Bahamut grunted angrily, his beard shaking again, "Tiamat, can you caste Haste on the boat?" Bakura blinked, realizing Bahamut had been using magic to make their journey shorter, and turned to Tiamat, who smiled slyly and took out a golden pocket-watch. She closed her eyes, and the watch began to glow. Immediately, the boat sped up, and Bakura's eyes widened in horror. They were ripping right through the ocean at a speed that really should have been unobtainable, and within seconds, with the water ripping by, they found land. The boat smashed right into the shore, throwing everyone headfirst into the sand. And, destroying the boat as well. Seth looked up slowly, and upon seeing the ruins, snorted.

"Don't you Espers know what overkill is?" he asked tartly, slowly crawling forward until he had the strength to stand. He dusted his armor off and looked around, turning back to Bahamut, who was just getting up himself.

"Looks like you were a bit too over-excited there, Tiamat," Bahamut grumbled, trying to straighten his rumpled robe, "You destroyed our boat." Tiamat scrambled up, and upon seeing the ruins of their once-active boat, streaks of pink crossed her face.

"Oops," she said simply, "I must have used Tripler instead of Haste."

"Either way, at least we're here," Bakura commented, and looked over the horizon, where sand sprawled in all directions, "…we _are_ in Egypt, right?" Bahamut looked up at the sky and sniffed for a minute, and then nodded, his hood still covering his eyes with shadow as he turned to the thief.

"Yes. I can smell the deserts, as well as Lady Sith, Lord Sceppiro, and Cydandilus Skylark," Bahamut replied, and frowned, "And I smell a bad storm. A magical one. We came here in the nick of time." Bakura's eyes widened just a bit at that news, and he looked at the horizon again, this time shivering as he saw that the sky was slowly turning to a red haze, the clouds blackening dangerously as a clap of thunder graced the country. Rath had to be back again, and at that thought, his eyes flashed for just a second.

"We have to get back to the palace then," Seth said sternly, crossing his arms, "The magic from both sides are so powerful, even I can sense it from here. What happens if one side attacks?"

"In this storm? We're not sure," Tiamat replied, glancing at Bahamut, "But if Rath's here, I doubt it will matter what happens now. She'll attack soon enough. Bahamut, should we revert and make way to the palace?" Bahamut hummed, and Seth could tell he was hesitating about doing that. He didn't blame the old man, either. He doubted Atemu had seen a dragon before, unless Sith transformed into one at some point. If anyone saw one, it would be considered a threat, and they couldn't risk the king and queen of all Espers. Finally, though, Bahamut seemed to have felt the situation was dire enough, for he nodded.

"Yes, my friend. The time has come to shake the world with our presence," he said seriously, and both of the elders closed their eyes, both glowing in cool shades of blue and purple. Seth and Bakura rushed back, making sure to stand safe distances as the dragons' power increased, causing small tremors in the surrounding area. Finally, two roars erupted as light exploded, blinding everything in sight. When it cleared, there sat two equally large dragons, one black and the other blue. Bakura smiled.

"Are you both all right?" he asked, and they both peered down at him with mild interest, "I mean… it's just, with the storm… it might have hurt you." Tiamat blinked, and then chuckled gently, though her laugh was still loud enough to be heard across the desert. Seth winced, wondering if anyone in the palace had heard them.

"We're fine, Bakura," Tiamat said, "We'll be better… once we see to it that Lady Sith and the pharaoh can fight against Rath. Now, climb on. We must depart." Nodding, Bakura jumped up onto Tiamat's back, though his eyes remained focused on the clouds encircling something far ahead. He felt tremendous waves of energy; some good, but most evil. His worries went to Sith, the palace, the people… and even to Atemu. And, judging from Seth's paling complexion, the priest had the same worries as he too got onto Bahamut's back. Bahamut sniffed, and then snorted, turning toward the darkening mass himself.

"Do not fear, little ones. We'll reach the palace shortly," he said, and both he and Tiamat leapt into the air, flying forward much more slowly than Seth really thought they should be going. Obviously, they didn't want something to find them, and he wondered if Rath really was in Egypt again. She must've been for them to behave so worriedly. He glanced over at Bakura.

"Are you as worried as I am, thief?" he asked. Bakura looked at him gravely, and nodded, looking down.

"Yes, though I doubt our priorities are the same," the thief replied, eyes narrowing gently, "My first worry is Sith. Yours is probably the pharaoh." Seth nodded, and bit his lip. Bakura looked guilty about something, and not wanting the thief to be distracted, Seth decided to try his hand at comfort for once.

"She'll be fine," he said gently, and Bakura looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Everyone will be fine, Bakura. I… I don't think she'd let anyone get hurt." Bakura nodded, but when he looked away, Seth knew he hadn't helped the thief relax at all. Seth himself kept his eyes on the clouds ahead, his nose wrinkling at the magic being emitted from them. It was too much for his comfort. His eyes darted to Bakura, who said just one thing as they flew in the sky, toward the palace, and toward the storm that was brewing.

"If anyone is dead… I'll kill Rath myself and avenge them. Not even… not even the pharaoh deserves to be caught up in this."

--(End Chapter)

And so, after getting some information from a tiny village far from Egypt, Bakura manages to steal a boat, thusly propelling our heroes back to where they need to go. Thanks to Esper magic, they're very close to the palace now. But, what has been brewing since Seth's departure? Will the war finally advance to a bloody battle? Will Sith, Sceppiro, and Cyd be forced to use forbidden magic to stop Rath? And, will Bakura kill Rath himself? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	20. The Not So Perfect Storm

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he thinks it's hysterical I keep putting Sith into every YGO fic I write. I just think I'm doing my job of writing whatever the hell I want.

"I can get that we're not going to attack," Malik imposed again, when another large chunk of time had passed, whereas no one was really doing anything he deemed as helping the palace out, "But do we _have_ to sit on our asses and wait _all day_!? Lady Sith, I'm getting tired!" He looked directly at the Esper in question, and she glanced back, her steel green eyes growing harder with disapproval at Malik's constant badgering. Isis glared at her brother, but neither woman seemed to be having much effect on his annoyance.

"Brother! Show respect to Lady Sith!" Isis exclaimed, as Sith merely said, "I didn't think humans could get tired from sitting and waiting. I will need to remember that." Atemu snickered at that remark; Sith never really had an overly exaggerated view on humans, but when she got one, it was almost humorous. She'd always become just a tad more pitying towards them. But, as he saw her looking at him, he stopped laughing as she said, "It would make sense in terms of yourself, sir." His eyes widened as the implication.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean!?" he demanded, standing up furiously from his throne. This time, everyone began to laugh, just a little. Atemu's head spun as he looked at each and every person assembled in his courtroom.

"With all due respects, great pharaoh, you do spend most of your day sitting in a throne," Shaddah observed. Atemu's eyes widened even further, especially when Malik added, "I'm surprised you don't get ass cramps, personally." Isis finally hit Malik over the head, utterly distressed with the lack of respect Malik appeared to have gotten used to showing. Atemu glared at Sith, seeing as how she had started the ruckus, but she merely snorted, covering her mouth with her gloved hand.

"Do not get so defensive, sir," she said calmly, "I am your knight. I observe all of your movements. It isn't unnatural for me to notice the slightest bit of fatigue in you." Atemu's face flushed with red, and he sat back down. Right then, he didn't know whether he liked Sith or forced himself to tolerate her sharp tongue. In a pouting attempt, he crossed his arms.

"If you knew I was so stressed out, why bother leaving my side? You know it'd make me worry about you," he pointed out flatly. Sith laughed again, smiling serenely at him.

"Well, now, you think I enjoy being employed as a mind-reader all day?" she said teasingly, and Atemu's eyes widened in embarrassment again, "Sir, I love and respect you to the highest I can, but even I need a break from your constant changes of mood and decisions." Again, everyone chuckled at that, but it was clear Sith was pushing Atemu's buttons. Whether it was for fun or not wasn't known, but it did lessen the tension in the room. It also flustered the pharaoh, which only added to the overall amusement.

"_SITH!!_" he whined childishly, "Dearest Ra, are you _trying_ to make me break down in public!? As a knight, you know better!"

"As a _friend_, it's what naturally occurs in times of stress, sir," Sith reminded him gently, fingering the hilt of her sword almost lovingly, "I mean no disrespect, Atemu. Not once have I pointed out any disadvantages it could give us." Atemu huffed, and smirked. Sith simply smiled again, and almost laughed when she heard Atemu mumble a 'like you even have any to give.' It caused another round of nearly silent chuckles from the priests who were closest to him. Hearing the two of them joke about their pasts was one thing; it was rare to hear them joke of _each other_ and take it in sport, and only proved how vast the alliance between Egypt and the Espers truly were. Even Cyd, who didn't approve of Atemu, had to comment on it.

"Okay, you two better stop yer jokin' now," he said seriously, and when Sith glanced over at the older man, he added, "Yer sounding like an old, brittle, married couple." Atemu snorted, and this time, Sith became very flustered at such a remark. Her brows furrowed, and she turned sharply to the older Esper, her wings stiffened with dignity.

"Uncle!" she hissed, "That was _not_ my intent! Don't say things like that!"

"Why?" the old Esper asked, grinning as he leaned against a pillar, "It's true." Sith issued a low growl as her eye twitched slightly, but said nothing more. She turned away, staring out of a window, though she wasn't actually focusing on anything; she was simply trying to get Cyd's comment out of her head. But, when Mana ran back into the courtroom with Sceppiro, everyone looked over, wondering what her panic was about. She looked as though she'd been through a marathon to the neighboring country and back, and Sceppiro was no better. When Sith inquired, the answer received was terrifying.

"There's a storm outside!" Mana exclaimed, pointing frantically to the windows as everyone began to crowd to see outside, "The sky is red, and the lightning is making craters in the sand! Sceppiro says it's a magical storm, but it's destroying the desert!" Sith rushed over, drawing her sword as she looked out, and gasped at the sight she saw. Lightning danced across the desert as thunder rumbled from far away, and though clouds covered the area completely, the temperature only rose from such a storm. And, as Sceppiro had guessed, magic was swirling in the air, burning Sith's nose.

"How did this happen?" she asked, trying to keep her voice firm as she looked at her brother, "Who caused it? Can we disperse it?" Sceppiro blinked, taken aback by her serious tone. Most everyone else save for Cyd was clearly horrified with the scene outside, but she seemed almost unaffected. Or, she was pretending to be. Sceppiro bit his lip, and laid a hand on his own sword.

"I wish I knew, Sith," he replied, "I'd have to say Rath caused it, but there's no way to be sure. Not even she can cause something like this. And I doubt we can do anything to stop it." Sith cursed angrily. She half-expected that, but to hear the impossibilities was never easy, especially for her. Her grip on her sword tightened.

"She's boxing us in," she said furiously, grinding her teeth, "She knew we wouldn't strike, and now she's trapping us. Damn it, Seth, where are you!?"

--

It had been only minutes since Bahamut and Tiamat took to the air to carry Seth and Bakura to the palace gates, but they dragged on mercilessly to feel like hours had passed as the sky continued to darken with the red haze of destruction. Lightning flashed across the fields, one bolt coming almost close enough to raze Tiamat's wing. Bakura flinched when he felt the heat of such raw energy so close to him, and Tiamat nearly lost her balance. The trip was becoming too dangerous for flight, but they all knew walking there would lead to death on someone's part, either their own or on the palace. When another roar of lightning threatened them, the dragons dove downward toward the ground.

"It's hard to tell if this is natural or if we're being targeted!" Seth yelled over the thunder, as Bahamut looped upwards again, "Are you all right!?"

"We'll be fine, boy," Bahamut growled calmly, eyes glinting as he avoided another crackle of lightning, "We've existed for millennia. I doubt a simple storm will be enough to take us down. Tiamat, steady yourself!" Seth glanced back, and saw that Tiamat was having a slightly harder time evading the whips of energy that were currently streaking the earth, but she eventually managed and flew by Bahamut's side.

"I agree, though, that it does seem that we're being aimed at directly," Tiamat replied, "But I don't see Aeroglyph anywhere. The only thing that would attract lightning to us is metal, which we do not own." Seth then remembered he still had Sith's key on him, but when he inquired, Tiamat said her key was too small to be a worthwhile conductor. There had to be a different reason. Seth looked around carefully, squinting his eyes to see through the red mist, but he couldn't see anything. There were no outlines to any city, no signs of movement, and no sound other than the swish of dragon wings and the cracks of thunder and lightning as they continued their dangerous waltz throughout the desert.

"I wonder if the pharaoh saw what's going on," Seth commented grimly, eyes narrowed as he continued to scan the area, "This mist worries me."

"I'm pretty sure he knows about it, priest," Bakura replied flatly, glancing over and shaking his head, "As to the mist… it's magic. It's burning my nose, and only magic does that… that, or allergies, but there's no seaweed here." Seth blinked as he processed what Bakura just said. The air did feel thick, and smelled heavily of musk, but what did that have to do with seaweed? Either way, the smell caused his nose to itch only slightly, and as he sneezed, he finally realized what Bakura meant.

"…you're allergic to seaweed and you became a pirate?" the priest asked in disbelief, and Bakura grinned, nodding as Seth finished with, "Wow, that has to be the dumbest idea you've ever gone through." Bakura stuck his tongue out at Seth, but both dragons ignored the remark as they continued their flight. The thunder stopped for a moment, something that neither human seemed to have noticed, but the dragons looked up worriedly at that sign. The storm hadn't felt natural, so why would it stop suddenly? Tiamat observed the clouds and saw that slowly, they were beginning to open, letting just a streak of sunlight across the sand below as cool air swirled in. Bakura nearly fell off from the sudden burst of cold wind, and looked upwards as well. His eyes widened when he saw the magnificent streak of blue amidst the blustery red and black of the dark sky.

"What the hell!?" he asked, as Tiamat growled angrily. She looked at Bahamut, and both of them nodded, confirming that this was no normal storm at all, and that they indeed walked into a war.

"Whoever caused this either stopped or is being dispelled," Bahamut explained, as the rip in the clouds continued to grow, "A very powerful Esper is dispelling the clouds, but we can't figure out if it would halt the dark magic as well." Seth hummed as he watched what once was a thin slit of blue turn into what looked like a raging river as the storm clouds thinned further, illuminating the desert again in the daylight. Bakura merely grinned at the mention of a 'powerful Esper.'

"It's either Lady Sith or her brother!" he exclaimed happily, "They're all right! And… wow, I never thought Espers could cause this. Now I'm just a little afraid." Tiamat laughed hysterically at the statement, and Bakura had to hang on to avoid being accidentally thrown off from the dragon's jerky movements.

"Normally, we cannot. Certain forms aren't strong enough to hold such magic," Tiamat replied, "If one of them is doing this, they aren't in a human-like form." Bakura's smile vanished. He remembered what Bahamut said about Sith and Sceppiro being able to turn into dragons, like them. One of them must've turned into one, but there were no other dragons in sight. Finally, the entire storm had dissipated, and all of the tension they had felt seemed to have melted away entirely. Even the Nile seemed calm despite the severity of the storm just moments ago.

"Whatever did this, let's thank Ra and move before the storm returns," Seth suggested, and though it wasn't spoken, such a decision was mutual as the dragons began to soar once again through the air. But, just as they gained considerable speed, something smashed into Bahamut, knocking the large dragon out of the sky and causing a furious eruption of roars from him. Then, Bakura saw it; a smaller silver dragon hissed across the air, and launched itself at something very far to the left. He looked down and saw it was some form of turret down below, aimed directly for him, but the shot was never fired. The new dragon destroyed it, and tore up whoever was controlling it as well. Screams below were heard, but the rush of a fourth dragon's wings blocked most of it out as a golden dragon reared behind Tiamat to help her land without hurting herself. Bakura saw just a flash of a purple lens in the sunlight.

"Who the hell are you!?" he demanded, as Tiamat descended carefully, the silver dragon taking out another turret below, creating more screams from whoever was trying to aim. The dragon looked at him, and snorted when they landed. Bahamut was close by, and though he landed on his back, he appeared fine.

"You don't recognize me?" came Sceppiro's voice, and Bakura's mouth dropped. He had no idea that Sceppiro would turn into a dragon to deal with this, and frantically, the thief pointed to the silver dragon, which blew out a long stream of angry flame at fleeing soldiers below, roasting some of them alive. Sceppiro nodded his head and said, "That's Sith."

"So she really can turn into a dragon!?" Seth asked, "Both of you!?" Bahamut turned over and shook his head to rid himself of the sand lodged in his ears.

"What, you think we _lied_ to you?" he asked, as Tiamat chuckled, "One thing you should know about us, boy: we don't lie unless it's to protect you! We told the truth about some of us turning into dragons, so I'd appreciate it if you believed me about it!" Seth bit his lip at the anger in Bahamut's voice, but Bakura continued to watch Sith take out everything that could prove to be a threat to them. Most everything that was either fled in terror or was killed immediately from her talons. When she circled around and finally landed, having seen nothing else that needed to be stopped at the moment, she landed directly in front of Bakura and looked down at the man with bright, steel green eyes. The thief simply grinned.

"Nice show," he commented, patting the dragon on her snout, "But I'd have thought you'd give more fire. You like fire, usually." Sith gave him a flat stare, and then snorted on top of his head. He blinked as he felt the cool air on his scalp, but couldn't understand what that was about… until he smelled something burning and heard crackling just above him, along with a slight prick of pain as he screamed, "_OUCH!!_" It took but a second to realize Sith lit _him_ on fire, and as he ran over toward the Nile to throw himself in, Seth couldn't help but laugh at the display.

"That's definitely Lady Sith," he commented, as Sith began to revert back to her normal self, "So, what have we missed? Word has it we're under attack. Is that true?" He was slightly surprised to find he was actually relieved to see someone like Sith, but he didn't rephrase his statement; after all, they were technically allies anyway. Sith nodded, promptly ignoring Bakura's screams of revenge for his burnt hair as she tugged at her sword.

"As much as everyone is afraid to say, we are," she replied sadly, "That storm was…"

"Created from magic. We know," Seth cut in, and Sith gave him a critical, questioning look, as though she didn't expect him to know that, "We all felt incredible waves of dark magic as we flew over. What caused that storm? Was it an Esper?"

"We don't know," Sith replied carefully, looking down, "As soon as Mana pointed it out, Sceppiro and I took off to stop it. We knew it was a move to scare us. I just hope everyone at the palace is all right. That caused a round of horror, and Atemu isn't the best in a crisis situation." Seth flinched; he hated when Sith spoke of the pharaoh like that, but she did hold a good point. Atemu would've been hard pressed to successfully stop riots of fear.

"We should get back, then," he concluded, and Sith readily agreed, "Do we need to worry about any more turrets shooting at us?"

"I took out what I could, but who knows where more could be?" Sith stated, shaking her head, "For now, we should be all right, but even Atemu realizes we need to act now. Chances are, we'll be dispatching as soon as you give your report." Seth wasn't entirely surprised by that one. The war was advancing quickly now. Sith eyed him carefully and then asked, "…you _do_ have a report, right?" She made a note that he lacked parchment and scrolls, and he knew her implications. It angered him all the more, especially since he attempted to be somewhat friendly to her upon arrival. Now, he'd abandon that to retort.

"I have it all _up here!_" he yelled furiously, pointing to his forehead, "I'm no idiot, knight. I'll remember!" Unfortunately, such a speech wasn't convincing to the older knight, and she simply rolled her eyes as she watched Sceppiro trying to make sure the elder dragons were relatively safe. Sceppiro looked at his sister and grinned.

"If not, then we still have proof the war's moving nonetheless," he stated brightly, "Should we get moving?" Sith nodded, though her stare and her tone both remained on the flat side, as though she were getting unusually impatient. Which, was obviously, she was.

"By all means, let's go," she replied, and to Bakura, she said, "You realize it's out, don't you? Get moving or you'll walk the rest of the way there." Bakura understood the threat, and hoisted himself out of the mighty river, running with unreal speed toward Tiamat, who let him on as Sith and Seth climbed onto Sceppiro and Bahamut respectively. They were in the air, and when nothing else shot at them from a distance, they felt it was safe to fly forward. The dragons remained silent so they could focus on their destination, but Sith decided to fill Bakura and Seth in on what had happened in the palace and what was being planned. It was nothing compared to Seth's report, but it did relieve the two in knowing everything was safe.

"So you mean you haven't actually planned a damn thing since we left," Seth stated flatly, when Sith was done with her explanation. She hummed and looked away, but didn't actually state her answer. She didn't need to; Seth knew her hesitation meant nothing had really happened as he said, "Nice to know your time's been wasted."

"And what did you expect me to do!?" Sith retorted sharply, her eyes flashing red for a second as she yelled at the priest, "There was no way we could've attacked Rath, even if you hadn't gone into her fortress! Without your report, we don't even know what she's planning!" Seth simply gave her a smug look, and though she growled furiously at him, she didn't prepare to attack. Bakura seemed just as agitated with Seth's behavior, and in an attempt to calm Sith down, he told her of what _he_ had learned as Rath's captive. Sith listened with utmost attention as he explained the conversations he remembered, but warned her that he might very well be making them up; he also told her he had been drugged quite a few times.

"I don't know the names of those girls of hers, but she has officers with her," Bakura stated, when he finished explaining the conversations involving his sacrifice, "I pretended to be out, so I guess she felt it was safe to tell them what to do with me. Which was worse than I'd have thought. I never thought women could be so cruel, but…" Bakura didn't finish his sentence, and Sith didn't want him to. She didn't want to know the details of his visit; she could see there were just a few unhealed cuts on his arms, and one slight one on his chest.

"I'm just glad you're alive," Sith replied quietly, "I was sure you'd be dead."

"Dead? Ha! Beaten up a bit, yes, but I wouldn't let her kill me," Bakura stated proudly, giving Sith a grin, "At any rate, though, I don't know how much of that was drugs or not. I just know my arms and back are still sore from it." Sith bit her lip and patted the thief on the back.

"When we get back, I'll order that you be taken to a room to rest," she replied, and Bakura nodded approvingly. Seth merely huffed and turned away. He didn't like the thought of Bakura resting up in the palace, for the obvious risk of something being stolen without notice, but he knew he was getting on thin ice with Sith. When a moment of silence passed between the three, Sith turned to Seth and asked, "And what did you find, Priest Seth?" Seth blinked, not understanding why she couldn't wait until the palace, but a quick glare from Bakura told him he'd better simply answer the knight's question. Seeing as how he was no longer an Esper himself, he could understand the threat.

"Not too much, but she has some form of weapon in her possession. It's a huge cannon and it works by shooting out magical energy, I think," Seth told her, trying to remember what it was he actually heard, "They were going to experiment with Bakura to see what it could do with his power." Sith seemed astonished by this statement, and quickly looked over at the thief, who nodded to show he had known this as well. She looked back at Seth, absolutely shocked to hear that those were Rath's plans. She couldn't see why she'd even bother using Bakura.

"Why?" was the only word she could manage to get out at that moment. Bakura cleared his throat, but it was Tiamat who explained the situation involving Bakura to Sith. And, Sith clearly didn't believe it when she responded with, "No… that… that can't be!"

"I know it's difficult to hear, Lady Sith, but it's the truth," Tiamat replied calmly, "Bakura is a guardian in this world, and he's taken the job of watching you." Sith's eyes widened as she looked from the dragon to the thief, her eyes watering as she realized that one thing she had been told most of her life in that world was a lie.

"…but why him?" she whispered, "My father said… that Atemu… that's why we were betrothed… and that… I almost said yes, but…" Bakura's once proud grin immediately vanished now, and Sith turned away.

"You were considering marrying him?" he asked monotonously, and even Seth knew how much that actually crushed Bakura. Sith glanced at him, and then slowly nodded. The dragons slowed down, wanting to hear her explanation on that, in their minds, very sudden move. Even Sceppiro seemed shocked to finally hear that she actually thought of marriage.

"…yes," she replied, "Even I need to marry sometime, Bakura."

"But why him!?" Bakura demanded, and his outburst made Sith stare at him in what felt like terror, but he knew it was more of a conflict of her own feelings than being scared of his outburst. Sith looked down again.

"…because I honestly… thought it would be what's best for me," Sith replied, "He's one of my closest friends. And the alliance between our races would be very strong if it happened. I think… if we win this, I should marry him."

"But that's just legal mumbo-jumbo and stuff!" Bakura cried, and Seth snorted, knowing this was driving the thief absolutely bonkers, "Sith, you can't just marry him! Do you even love him!?" Sith looked up at Bakura again, and this time he knew she was probably going to start crying soon. She had to have been considering this for some time, and if not, then it had to have been put on her by someone else. He silently swore to find out which it actually was.

"…" Sith looked down yet again, clutching one of Sceppiro's scales, "…no."

"Then why bother?" Bakura asked her, and when she looked at him again, he said, "I'm serious. There are other ways to form alliances between our races, Sith. You don't have to just marry someone because your father betrothed you to him. Think about it; do you really want to be stuck with Atemu for the rest of your life?" Sith growled again. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew she wouldn't actually be happy, but she had promised her father she'd live out his wishes. One of them would be to marry, though she realized that at the end, he never said it had to be to Atemu. And it seemed Bakura saw that as well, as a grin crawled across his face and he said, "Well?"

"…but he said Atemu was going to be my guardian," Sith said, and Bakura laughed hysterically. Yes, Atemu was technically responsible for her safety, but Bakura already knew Claude lied to his daughter on that note.

"Your father's a fucking liar, Sith," Bakura stated, and this time, both Sith and Sceppiro glared at him furiously, "Look. I'm not saying he's bad. He had his reasons, but trust me, Atemu can't protect you. Damn idiot can barely run his kingdom without you to clean up his messes. Just ask yourself this: If you had your choice, _would_ you marry Atemu? Would you even think it?" Sith blushed heavily, and both Seth and Bakura knew her answer: it was 'no.' She sighed.

"I just… It felt like this was going to be the very end, Bakura," she began, sighing, "And if it was, I wanted to do something that would make me happy. And that's to actually get married. The thought… sounds nice." Bakura smiled warmly and patted her shoulder. He understood her problem; he'd had similar panic attacks before.

"I know, but you can't make really sudden decisions like that just because you _think_ it's what's best," Bakura told her, and then in a slightly less comforting tone, asked, "You didn't… already ask him, did you?" Sith laughed, and shook her head.

"No. I was merely considering if I should accept his offer," she replied, "He has no idea I even still think about it." Bakura sighed with relief; at least no one knew she was planning on, in his mind, ruining her life by marrying _Atemu_. Seth looked over at both the thief and the knight, and snorted. He was trying to make it clear that the topic was amusing to him, and when Sith looked at him, he said, "Hey, I find it awfully funny that you're going to try pulling this now when we're already distracted."

"…I had a feeling you would," Sith replied, managing a strained smile, "But that wasn't my intention. For just a moment, when I saw this storm… I wondered… if this really was it. I didn't know if she'd be here. And I wondered if things would've been different if I really had married him." She looked down as she spoke, and saw they were already passing the walls surrounding the city, "I suppose they wouldn't be, ultimately, but the thought occurred to me."

"It's natural to wonder," Bahamut told her, as the palace loomed nearby, its high walls casting a cooling shadow on the group, "But Bakura's right. You can't go making a rash decision, and it's a good thing you shared it with us. If you actually asked Atemu, Rath could use that against you later." Sith nodded, and when the courtyard came into view, the three dragons began to circle around over it, slowly descending as guards began to shout and yell, running to see just what was gracing their presence. Some held spears, others had catapults; but one thing was very clear: they weren't welcome. Bahamut growled angrily, rearing back to spout a burst of angry fire, but Sith begged him to stop before jumping off of Sceppiro's back, landing on the ground. Her presence severely shocked the guards.

"Stop!" she commanded, running toward the sergeant that was there, "Stop and lower your weapons! They're friends!"

"Friends?" the sergeant asked, as Sith came to a halt beside him, "Lady Sith, these _dragons_ are friends!? I demand an explanation, my lady." Sith, however, quickly shook her head.

"No time. Go and get the pharaoh. _Immediately!_" The order barely had to come out of her before it was followed. Many soldiers ran inside to find the entire royal court, and as Sceppiro changed back to his form, Mana came running out. She hugged Sith tightly, absolutely thankful that the older woman managed to live through the storm, and then she practically tackled Sceppiro over as well. Mahaado greeted Seth cordially when he arrived on the scene, and slowly, everyone within the court appeared, with Atemu being the last to show. Sith leapt right to his side, and as Seth came up, alongside Bakura, both of them bowed, though everyone knew Bakura did so grudgingly.

"What is so urgent, Sith?" Atemu asked, as Seth and Bakura stood back up, "That… you…" His eyes widened when he saw Tiamat and Bahamut both in his courtyard, curling up with boredom as they awaited his welcoming. He couldn't believe it. He was witnessing two _dragon Espers_ right there, and he knew who they were. They weren't just the supreme king and queen of all Espers; they were also _gods_ in themselves. He pointed and said, "My… my Ra… Dragons! Actual dragons!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Bahamut grumbled, flicking his tongue, "But we're not here for formalities, Atemu. We must move quickly to stop Rath from destroying this world, and Seth here has the information to do that." The dragon turned his head and cast one glimmering golden eye on the priest in question, "Go on and tell them." Seth nodded, and cleared his throat. Everywhere, all of the chatter from the guards ceased to let Seth's voice ring out.

"While inside of Rath's fortress, I discovered that she plans to take us down with some form of large cannon that utilizes the life-force of ultra-potent beings and puts that force into a physical ballistic to blow apart a wide area of land," Seth began, "Her original intent was to use Bakura to see how far she could drain human energy to use as ammunition, and I believe the castle is mobile so she can test this machine out before firing on us." Atemu glanced as Sith hummed a bit.

"It makes sense," she affirmed, "That she would turn in the middle of battle. Did you figure out what powers the machine?" Seth bit his lip; he hadn't actually seen the machine, but that's when Bakura stepped in, and now Seth was grateful the thief had lived.

"An orb," Bakura said simply, and Sceppiro's eyes widened, "It's made of some form of crystal that's supposed to be nearly unbreakable, and it's supposed to hold a class of magic that's supposedly forbidden to the Espers at large." Sith blinked. She had no idea such a thing actually existed, but Sceppiro's outburst told her it had been in their family since they had first gained power.

"The Mythril Sphere!" the older Esper exclaimed, his whole body going stiff, "She… she has it?" Bakura nodded.

"I'm sure that's what she's using to scare the other Espers into helping her," he offered, and when Sith raised an eyebrow, Seth added, "Many of the Espers are only on her side for fear of their extermination, Sith. The one they wish to truly follow is you." Sith nodded, and for a moment, seemed to look away at such a statement. Sceppiro, however, looked more and more troubled at the mention of the sphere, and curiously, Atemu inquired about it. Sceppiro seemed to hesitate with an answer, but finally, he did give one.

"Remember when you first approached me, and I mentioned a sphere that belonged to my father? That it had been stolen and I wanted it back?" Sceppiro asked, and when Atemu, Bakura, Sith, Seth, and Mahaado all nodded, he continued, "That's the sphere. Rath must've been the one who stole it. And damn it all, she's using it to destroy this world! We have to get it back. If she unleashes Ultima, we're doomed." Sith glanced warily at her brother, and something told Seth that whatever she was going to say would be a hard hit. And, he was right.

"She already used Ultima," Sith reminded him, and the dragons hissed angrily, "We're already in a lot of trouble, Sceppiro. There is no 'if' here. She's already done mortal damage."

"You didn't tell us she has used Ultima!" Bahamut roared furiously, "By gods, are you all insane!? She has ripped Oblivion asunder now! I fear we may not be able to even stop her now, even with Tiamat and myself here! Have you all no sense to explain this beforehand!?" His anger was directed mostly at Bakura and Seth, the former of which hung his head in shame, the latter of which scoffed and turned away indignantly.

"We assumed you knew," Seth stated sarcastically.

"Then assume I will set you on fire for your insolence," Bahamut growled in response, until he saw Sith shaking her head.

"That's no answer, my liege," Sith replied, "But now you know the damage has been catastrophic. But… you seemed to have a plan for stopping her. What was it?" Reluctantly, Bahamut ignored Seth and looked down at the younger Esper until he could comfortably lie back on the ground. Then, he looked at Tiamat, and when she gave the okay, he relayed his plan. It'd involve Sith, Sceppiro, and Cydandilus to pool their power along with the two dragons to try and seal off Oblivion, much like the three 'Eldest' Espers had done so long before. And, Bahamut warned, that might have meant leaving this world through an 'unusual' means. Not to his surprise, no one liked the idea.

"We're not doing this!" Sceppiro stated firmly, "I don't care how insane Rath is. I'm not going to even try this."

"You have to be outta yer god-damned mind to think I'm gonna kill myself 'cause of a brat like Rath!" Cyd exclaimed as well, "Sealin' ourselves up to close Oblivion!? I don't think so."

"Isn't there another way?" Sith asked, her ears drooping sadly, "Why must we leave?" Bahamut and Tiamat looked away, feeling they should've known better than to ask anyone to do such a task; after all, the three Espers in question did have lives in this world to attend to. Asking them to give it up on one slim chance was foolish.

"…the only other way is to kill Rath," Tiamat said solemnly, looking down at the ground between her talons, "That will stop her madness."

"And will destroy our kingdom anyway," Sith finished grimly, "But the alternative is worse. We'll aim to kill her. How do we do so?" Bahamut and Tiamat looked at each other carefully. They hadn't anticipated anyone, especially Sith, to consider actually murdering another Esper, but then they realized it might not be helped, either. There was too high a risk of a sealing not working to not try for an alternative route.

"It shouldn't be hard with us on your side," Bahamut told her, "As much as we hate to kill an Esper, we may have no choice now. The first thing to do is separate her from Aeroglyph."

"If she's coming here, that might not be too hard to achieve," Atemu stated, looking around the courtyard carefully. He silently took note of the damage of the outer walls, wondering if they could actually survive from a blast of Rath's new weapon. A quick glance at Sith told him she was worried for the same thing, and that she had her answer: they wouldn't. He sighed, wishing they had more of a chance.

"We'd do better trying to use successive casts of Ultima instead of facing her head on," Sceppiro grumbled, and Bahamut merely snorted, "Egypt's not built for a magical battlefield." Atemu's lips thinned. That was true enough; Egypt had never actually faced a battle against Espers before now, and the damage done was already more than his men could repair. He looked on at everyone, and saw that the general mood was one of anxious exhaustion. Everyone was tired, and he knew the only reason anyone had stayed so long instead of fleeing was due to loyalty and to a fear of being caught in Rath's weapon. If they were to plan an actual assault accordingly, it would have to be in better spirits than this. He clapped his hands as everyone turned to him.

"Let's retire to the dining hall and figure out what to do there," he said, "I'm sure a full stomach will help us concentrate a bit better." He looked at Sith, who nodded in agreement, and then his eyes fell on the two dragons, who seemed absolutely content with staying in dragon form. He sighed and said, "Bring a roast to each of our guests to…"

"No need," Bahamut said airily, "We'll poke our heads through the windows and listen that way. Trust us, neither of us are particularly hungry." Atemu blinked, but didn't question. He trusted the dragons and their judgment. With Sith and Mana at his sides again, Atemu turned and walked back into the palace, everyone in the courtyard slowly beginning to follow him. The initial reporting completed, now they could finally get on with the last leg of the war; the actual battle. Everyone knew it was coming close now. That storm was simply a warning of Rath's return, and the presence of two Esper gods merely proved it. Now, the help of the Espers would be a key factor to winning what Atemu knew would be a bloody battle with too many casualties for his comfort.

"…and I have no intention of losing my kingdom. Not to her," he muttered, and when Sith glanced at him, he clapped her on the back and gave a smile. Together, they walked into the dining hall and waited for everyone else to join them. Only then could they get a battle plan ready.

--(End Chapter)

And so, with Bakura and Seth finally returning to Egypt, everyone finally assembles at the courtyard to hear the two give their astonishing report. But, when the storm hit them, prompting Sith and Sceppiro to join the fray again, that was just an omen to what might happen. Can Atemu's kingdom survive a battle against Rath, even with the Gods of the Espers on their side? Will Sith and Sceppiro take Aeroglyph back and stop Rath before she does too much damage? Or, will the sealing of Oblivion be inevitable? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	21. The Army of One Million

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe Seth is going to help win a war. Apparently, he did absolutely nothing helpful in the war on the show.

"I call this meeting to order!" Malik exclaimed, as servants brought out platters of food for everyone assembled. It had taken only a few minutes for everyone to assemble in the dining hall; guards, magicians, priests, servants, warriors, and even the few civilians who were brave enough to approach the gates of the palace were allowed entry, and the entire crowd filled nearly the entire hall. Sith was almost amazed with their speed as she sat next to Atemu, looking at everyone assembled. Mana, who was seated between Malik and Sceppiro, just snorted as she tugged on Malik's sleeve, dragging him down into his seat.

"I don't remember the pharaoh dying and making you the king," she retorted smugly, as Sceppiro chuckled, glancing at them. Malik crossed his arms defensively, sticking his tongue out at her, but a quick growl from Sith stopped that. He turned to her and she stood, with a nod from Atemu to show his approval. Everyone began to quiet themselves when they saw her, and Seth noted that intently.

"As you all know, we're going to war with the other Espers," Sith began sternly, her voice showing no signs of regret in that statement, "The storm that just passed was only a warning. We need to start getting into position. How many warriors do we have here?" Sith waited as every guard, sergeant, sentry, warrior, and a few of the villagers raised their hands. She smiled; that was more than half of the crowd. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Wonderful. Some of you will serve as our front line; others will take to the defense. Mahaado, do you want to explain our situation with magic?" Mahaado nodded, and this time, he rose as Sith sat back down.

"The Espers have far superior firepower and range than we do," he began, and Sith growled as she saw that everyone was growing nervous with that statement, "But if we can put up enough shields in time, we can severely slow down their assault and aid our own members. It depends on how many magicians we have." He smiled, thinking he had done good, but a quick glance at Sith told him he missed something. She stood up again, eyeing the priest flatly.

"With all respects, Mahaado, you seemed to have missed most of my briefing," Sith said flatly, a trace of annoyance in her voice, "The magical shields and aids are best left to the _priests_, not the _magicians_."

"What's the difference?" one man asked, and judging from his tattered tunic, Sith guessed he wasn't one of their soldiers. She smiled gently.

"Priests are dedicated to the order and magic of healing. Magicians are trained specifically for destructive uses and combat," she replied, hoping he understood that, "The _priests_ that we have, including half of the High Priests, will see to healing and treating the wounded and vulnerable. The _magicians_, along with Mahaado, Akunadin, Mana, and my brother, will stand atop the palace walls and rain down firing support when the Espers come too close." Mana nodded, seeming to like the idea, but that still left many people who weren't in any of the classifications Sith gave, including most of the villagers who weren't currently attending the meeting. One brave soul, another peasant that Sith didn't recognize, brought that point up immediately.

"What about them?" he asked, "The people who didn't make it here?" Sith's face paled. That would be a problem. They were virtually useless in war, and she wasn't about to let them go out for the sole purpose of soaking up damage from Rath. She turned to Atemu, hoping he'd have a different idea. He smirked, realizing she was at a loss for once.

"They will stay inside of the palace and act as footmen for us. They will carry messages and supplies to and fro different lines of defense," the pharaoh replied. He smiled, feeling that most had been accounted for, but a smug grunt and a rumble outside alerted him that both he and Sith forgot two very important guests. Everyone turned up and gasped when two dragon heads snaked into the room, both looking at Atemu. The black dragon snorted, sending a bout of steam into the chamber.

"What about us?" Bahamut asked, his voice causing the walls to shake. Sith hid a snort. King or not, Bahamut didn't like to be forgotten or overlooked in any way.

"Damage control, perhaps?" she suggested, and both Atemu and the two dragons stared at her, "It's too risky keeping you on the field, but you can perform aerial attacks on the back ranks of their army. And, you can scout around for anything else we need to be aware of." Tiamat hummed, clearly considering Sith's idea. Atemu approved immediately; it made much more sense to have dragons as simply a threat to be used instead of throwing them right out in front as a huge target. He was glad Sith was by his side. She was putting the war together with little effort or objection. The only bump was Bakura, and Atemu nearly yelled when Bakura shot his hand up, grabbing Sith's attention.

"Don't forget myself or Diabound. Diabound wants to help in the front line," Bakura said, and Sith nodded in agreement, "As for myself, I can see if I can muster a band of thieves to assist us. We're very, very good at getting surprise assaults." Sith stopped nodding and had to consider this. More warriors would be a blessing, but she doubted they'd keep their word or would attack without causing some form of backfiring damage. She trusted Bakura, but she couldn't trust _every_ thief in Egypt. Bakura was a special case to her.

"…Atemu, what do you think?" she asked, turning to the pharaoh. He blinked, expecting her to make this decision on her own, but he saw her hesitancy. It was _his_ kingdom, not hers. He toyed with the idea, but ultimately knew he could trust Bakura, even if it was just this once. He nodded. She turned back to the thief in question and nodded firmly, causing him to grin.

"Yes to both Diabound and the thieves," she replied quickly, "But _make sure they're trustworthy,_ damn it. We need no double-crossers on our side or I'll kill every thief still living when we're done." Bakura nodded, but Sith saw how pale his face had become. Obviously, he was worried he couldn't fulfill her standards, but she couldn't dwell on that. It was his problem as of now. She gave him a quizzical glance, and his reaction told her he took on that responsibility faithfully. She turned back to the crowd at large and asked, "Is there anyone I'm missing?" Not to her surprise at all, Cydandilus raised his hand. She sighed, knowing this could drag on for hours if she didn't speed the session up, by which Rath definitely would've attacked by then.

"An' what the hell do I do, Sithy?" he asked, stroking at the stubble he called a beard as he strapped on a pair of cracked goggles, "I can probably blast 'em with my cannons, eh?" Sith hesitated, biting her lip as she saw the complete and utter silence that followed her uncle's suggestion. She _wanted_ to laugh, but she knew better than to insult him.

"As much as I love your idea, uncle, I don't think it's the wisest choice for us," she started softly, hoping he didn't get angry with her refusal, "Rath will recognize you and kill you. We can't have that."

"Then what do I do!? I sure as hell ain't sittin' in here with my ass on a chair, unlike _someone_ I know!" Bakura had to snort with Cyd's remark. He knew it was pointed directly at Atemu, and the fact that Sith herself seemed absolutely mortified with it just made the whole scenario that much more comical. Everyone began to laugh, either out of worry that they should, or simply because the statement amused them. The only ones who couldn't laugh were Sith, Atemu, and Mahaado, all three of whom were too shocked by Cyd's rudeness to speak for the moment. Eventually, Mahaado found his voice first.

"Order!" he cried out, "The pharaoh demands order!" At that note, the laughter slowly dwindled, but a few brave snickers still remained, which Sith chose to ignore as Mahaado once again let her take charge of the situation. Atemu simply watched, interested in what Sith what suggest for her volatile uncle. She gave a heavy, impatient sigh.

"All right, _uncle_, you will be in charge of ballistics damage," Sith said flatly, "Close combat wouldn't be overly wise as a center of our attack. We need to err on the side of stealth, even though we're using close quarters as our first defense. If we assume they're going to use magic as a main offense, a long-range assault only makes sense as a counter, right?" She looked at Mahaado, Seth, and Karim, as they had also been appointed as leaders of three other formations. Karim and Mahaado nodded, but Seth didn't seem as eager to share Sith's opinion. Atemu worried silently that it would end in a fight, but to his surprise, Seth was as calm as ever.

"It might, but what I'm concerned is that they anticipate that, and that's _why_ they're using magic," Seth replied. Sith gave him an odd look, her lips thin.

"Please explain," she urged calmly, "I'm not overly sure I follow, priest Seth."

"You've said it yourself, Knight. Magicians are, by far, the worst when it comes to close physical attack," Seth reminded her, "If they'd think we were focusing on an all-out physical assault, why put so many soldiers that would be left vulnerable? Surely, we'd be weakened to their magic, but if we're faster and more cunning, wouldn't that still account to them? No, I have a feeling they're anticipating us trying to use long-ranged ballistics. Magicians can easily put a stop to our ammunition, especially if she sets up scores of them just for that." Sith hummed. Seth was, unfortunately, right. She sighed.

"Perhaps, but what would you suggest?" she asked him, frowning even though her tone remained calm. He shrugged.

"Unfortunately, Knight, I can't argue with your point," he told her, "If we have too many soldiers, there's a chance we'll fall into a magical trap. But if we don't have enough, they can easily halt our attacks. It's a dangerous decision." Sith nodded. That was all too true, especially if they were going to implement the villagers as part of their ranks. She sighed again, wishing Sceppiro were still in control of Nesce.

"The only other options to us, Seth, would be to add more magicians to our force," Sith finally said, and Atemu noted that she sounded very exhausted at that point, "We have neither the time nor the ability to look, nor can we train the villagers in its uses. Unless, of course, _you're_ hiding a score of them under your bed." Seth actually laughed. Normally, he'd have taken offense, but that just seemed so amusing. He could see why she pointed the comment at him; he was starting to sound like he had an alternative. And, then, it finally hit him. There was another route they could take, but it involved Sith herself. He remembered what the other Espers in Rath's control had said, especially one named Vanargand. He grinned, and Sith immediately suspected his idea.

"We have one more option," he replied, "And if it works, we'll definitely be able to at least slow her down." Sith eyed him very suspiciously, both urging him to and dissuading him from continuing. She half-glanced at Atemu and found he was just as curious to hear Seth's idea, and even Sceppiro seemed piqued with it. Closing her eyes and praying she wasn't right, she resumed her discussion with him.

"And what of this option?" she asked, though everyone could hear that she really had no true interest. Seth's grin became almost mocking as he looked at the reluctant knight.

"We send you out directly onto the field," he said, "If the Espers see that you are indeed still alive, then perhaps they'll turn to your side instead of hers." Sith's eyes widened. That was probably the _most_ dangerous route to take, but she could see the advantages if it actually managed to work. More Espers on their side meant much less fighting, and possibly more intelligence concerning Rath's plans. But it'd put Sith in incredible risk. If a decent blow from magic or an arrow managed to hit her square in the heart, she was dead. And she wasn't the only one to see this. Many people began to verbally refuse the idea, the first having been Bakura himself.

"No!" he cried furiously, and all eyes were on him instantly, "We won't do that! We're not sending the one person who might actually save our asses to the slaughter! I refuse to do _that_!" Silence reigned, and the verbal refusals immediately stopped. The High Priests shuffled nervously, and even Atemu seemed unnerved with Bakura's forcefulness. The only one who stared at him seriously was Sith. Seth snorted, and Bakura glared at him, wondering if the priest was stupid enough to challenge him on it.

"Then what do you suggest, thief?" Seth asked him, and when Bakura couldn't reply, he said, "Don't disrupt us, then. This is the best way, and if your only point is that you're against it, we're doing it. Can you understand that?" Sith's eyes narrowed at Seth's implication; he was trying to make Bakura look like a fool. Bakura himself nearly lost his temper as he slammed his foot onto the floor, people backing away in fear of being hurt.

"_ABSO-LUTE-LY NOT!_" he screamed, "What I _understand_ is that you're putting Sith in danger by placing her on the front lines! Do you have any idea what Rath will do if she sees Sith down there!? She's as good as dead! I won't allow that, even if I have to go against the pharaoh himself!"

"Stop," Sith said, and both Bakura and Seth looked over at her. Her eyes had watered, her face becoming slightly red, and Bakura understood immediately that he'd intruded on something. Quietly, she said, "Bakura, please… just stop. Thank you for your concern, but I accept this proposal." Bakura sighed heavily, and reluctantly backed away from the matter. Everyone shuffled uncomfortably in the silence that fell, mainly because Bakura's shout left them speechless. Atemu glanced over at Sith, but she simply stayed standing. She pushed her plate aside, and walked away from the table. Atemu stood to try and stop her, but she simply waved him away as she said, "I must prepare for my station, sir." He stopped dead in his tracks, frowning. This wasn't like her, to just leave the dining hall before he announced the meal finished.

"L-lady Sith?" Mana called, as Sith passed her, but the older woman paid her no heed as she walked swiftly toward the entrance and left the room. Everyone watched her go, a few murmuring as to what would cause her sudden change in mood. Before, she seemed calm and willing to discuss their options. But now, something had upset her. The murmuring grew louder, and reluctantly, Atemu sat back down. Whatever was wrong with Sith, it'd have to wait until dinner was officially over. However, he saw that Bakura and Seth were now beginning to argue, even as everyone around them tried to eat their food. He sighed; he should've seen it coming. He stood again and walked over just in time to hear what the argument was about.

"If she _dies_ because of your stupid suggestion, I'm going to make sure you're the next target," Bakura spat angrily, "How _dare_ you suggest she go out there when you're going to be in _here_! Do you have any idea the danger she's going to face now!?"

"And you suppose her life is worth more than this country?" Seth countered, "Bakura, her _job_ is to protect Egypt. She will be doing that by presenting herself onto the field!"

"No, she'll be sending herself to the slaughter!" Bakura argued, his back tensing as he glared at Seth, "I won't stand for it!" He turned to the pharaoh, who had just approached them, "If you're going to force Sith into this, you can forget my help on the front lines. I'm not going to watch her get herself killed." He turned away and stormed off, leaving Atemu to simply shake his head. This wasn't going well at all. Bakura was no help now, and he had a feeling Sith wasn't going to speak to anyone for a while. That left only one person to try and stop this with: Seth. He turned to the priest.

"What _were_ you thinking when you suggested it?" he asked calmly, "You realize you've caused some real turmoil in our plans now, correct?" Seth looked at the pharaoh quizzically. He hadn't _meant_ to do that, but he felt his plan may have been the best for everyone. Now, though, he was beginning to doubt himself on that note.

"Pharaoh, sir, I was just suggesting that if she were to be seen as being alive, the Espers would turn on Rath," Seth explained, "Never once did I mean to mock or place her in danger. Bakura mistook my intentions."

"Bakura was within his rights to object, and quite frankly, I agree with him," Atemu stated firmly, no trace of sympathy to his voice despite Seth's earnest, "You have cost us two allies, priest Seth. I do not believe Sith will act accordingly now." Seth's eyes widened. He _really_ didn't mean for that to happen. Just when he was sure he was amending his mistake in the past, it was blowing up again. He could tell both Mahaado and Karim kept their silence in respect, but he finally couldn't blame them for wanting to scold him. He did cost the kingdom a terrible deal, and he _was_ lucky Bakura had joined up with them early on.

"My king, I didn't mean for this to happen," he said, looking down, "What must I do, sir?" Atemu's eyes narrowed, and it was clear he still hadn't forgiven Seth for his past slanders concerning his knight. He looked critically at Seth.

"Fix it. Immediately," the pharaoh said coldly, and promptly turned, "Dinner is adjourned for those who have other affairs to contend with." He walked back to his throne and sat, but found he couldn't eat any more of his meal. Neither could Seth, for that matter. And that was a shame; the meal had been delicious. But Seth knew what he had to do. He sighed and left the hall quietly, heading down toward the front entrance. He turned and walked up the stairs to the second floor, continuing until he reached Sith's bedroom. The door was opened just enough for him to see that Bakura was sitting in one of her chairs. But where was Sith? He heard no sound within the room. Quietly, he stepped closer, and caught just a whisper of Bakura's voice.

"You can't do this!" he whispered, "Sith, please! Be reasonable!"

"I will not allow Atemu's people to suffer whilst I'm on that battlefield," Sith replied, and Seth realized instantly what she must have been thinking, "I will go alone. I will face her alone, and steer the battle away from Egypt. Perhaps away from this world entirely." Bakura stood up so briskly that he knocked the chair over. His eyes widened, tears dotting them as he walked over to Sith, who was polishing her sword as she stood, her back to him. Seth's eyes fell to the floor. If his actions caused her to leave once more, he would be fired immediately upon discovery.

"I'm going with you," Bakura stated, and when Sith turned to him, he said, "Don't tell me not to. This is my choice, Sith. You can't go alone."

"And you think you can help?" she asked him, "Bakura, you've already been broken by her once before. I won't allow that again." Seth could tell Bakura wasn't liking Sith's reasoning at all, and the priest couldn't blame him. She was surely committing suicide with her idea. Bakura finally lost control of his station, if he had any to begin with. He grabbed Sith's shoulders, but instead of shaking her as Seth thought he would, he simply looked at her, his body shaking.

"I've already been through her torture once, and though I don't care to repeat it, this is _my_ choice, Sith!" Bakura cried, "I'm only in this damned war because you've allowed me to be. To hell if you think I'm going to let you kill yourself without me! I owe you my life more times than I care to count. Please, let me go with you." Sith closed her eyes, unable to give a full answer to the thief. His true concern touched her. As did his resolve. But this was her _job_. She couldn't purposely place innocents in danger, and if she allowed this, that's exactly what she'd be doing. She was no knight, then.

"Why do you wish to go?" she asked quietly, looking up at him, "Does life mean so little to you, Bakura?"

"…" Bakura couldn't answer her. The truth was, his life meant absolutely nothing, either to him or to Egypt. He simply looked at her, and then turned away. She turned back toward the wall where her shield was mounted. His silence was answer enough for her as she reached up and took it down. It was a beautiful, blue shield, cut out in the shape of a crystal with a pentagram in its center. The symbol was purple, but the rest changed different hues depending on the light. Sith smiled; she obviously loved the shield.

"It's been a long time since I've worn this shield," she commented, slipping the leather straps behind it onto her arm, "I normally don't need it. It's only effective with deflecting magic. Let's hope my mother's charm hasn't faded off of it." Seth saw Bakura looked back up at her, clearly interested by the mention of her mother. It was the first time Sith had ever spoken of her. Seth had assumed she either died or had left the family.

"Your… mother," Bakura repeated in a whisper, "…she made that for you?"

"For my brother, actually," Sith replied, patting it, "But he gave it to me. He told me that if I was going to be a knight, I needed a shield. He said he doubted he'd need one if he was to take the throne of Aeroglyph." Bakura nodded, but Seth saw that something within Sith's statement had bothered the thief. Bakura folded his hands on his knees as he sat back down in his chair.

"…will you be leaving once Sceppiro has Aeroglyph again?" he asked after a few moments, and Sith stopped packing her sack. She blinked, and looked at him critically. His question seemed casual enough, but she heard something more in his voice. She heard sadness; he was getting less and less willing to end this if it meant Sith would be leaving. She sighed, both touched and worried for his wonder.

"To tell you truth, I haven't yet decided," she replied quietly, "I... I owe it to my parents to go and protect my kingdom. But… Atemu is my closest friend. Honestly, I have no idea what I will do." Bakura nodded with understanding, and as Sith went back to packing various potions and equipment for her raid, he let the ensuing quiet pass peacefully as he looked out of her window. Night was beginning to fall once again, but the time flowed so jerkily in Bakura's mind, he wouldn't be surprised if it was a simple illusion. In his mind, he was battling a new decision as well, and Seth frowned as he watched. He knew what Bakura was getting to, and he knew that the thief's rivalry with the pharaoh was real in more ways than just a struggle for power. In the next instant, he knew he was right.

"…I have a proposition for you, Sith," Bakura finally said firmly, and his tone caused Sith to put down a bottle of purple liquid to listen closely to him, "…if you leave… if you stay in Aeroglyph… will you let me come with you, too?" Sith blinked, her eyes slowly widening at Bakura's hasty decision. Most humans feared the Esper world, and from what she remembered, everyone tended to avoid it whenever it slipped between the worlds, or so her father had said. Bakura was the first to actually ask to _live_ there. And, she had no idea how to answer. The thought of a friend comforted her, but he could be placing himself in danger. Espers didn't always care for humans.

"Bakura…"

"Please," Bakura said, standing up, "Please, Knight Sith, I beg of you to let me go with you. My life means nothing; you're the only reason I'm not being skewered on some roasting spit. If I join you… I can at least try and redeem myself as a legionnaire of yours." Redemption! That was one thing Bakura never thought he'd ask to do, but he asked it of her. The more he found himself entwined in the matters of the pharaoh's court, the more he wished to become a soldier, to have _some_ sense of purpose other than to take from others. It had seemed impossible in Egypt, but Nesce would be a different case. But only if Sith agreed, and by the look on her face, she wouldn't.

"…never in my long life has a human begged to be my legionnaire," Sith commented, "You would have to work under my brother…"

"No," Bakura stated, "I work with you. I will be your legionnaire." Sith turned away. This was unreal to her. She wasn't a queen, and yet here, this man was telling her he would be her soldier and follow her without question, even if it did cost him whatever life he had left. All she could do was sigh.

"…if that is what you wish, I won't stop you," she finally said, "But it doesn't start once we take Aeroglyph. It starts _now_. You are _already_ following my lead, and so you have chosen your path. Do you understand and accept this?" Bakura nodded, and Seth could tell without a doubt that he was serious on his offer. All the priest could do was smile. Even if it was from the _king of thieves, _Bakura was beginning to turn out to be one of the most righteous people Seth knew, even if his methods had been horribly skewed at first.

"I accept everything that I will be dealing with from now on," Bakura replied, and gave her the salute he had seen her use to address the pharaoh and his court, "I will do my best to provide the service you ask of me, Lady Sith." Sith nodded, and clapped a hand on his back.

"You would make even my uncle proud with your resolve," she commented, "As soon as we regain Aeroglyph, you will be properly outfitted to represent my kingdom. If, of course, you wish to do that." Bakura laughed. He looked down at his cloak and his attire. At one time, Cyd had mistaken _him_ as the pharaoh, but now, his clothes were tattered and burned. He looked just as a scraggly thief should. And he found he hated it. He wanted to at least look like the king he claimed to be, and though he was now a soldier and would never again dress as he used to, the thought of armor was appealing. Especially if he got to choose what armor he would wear.

"I'll do it," he replied, "But I don't do chunky armor. Give me something light and you'll have the best soldier you could imagine!" Sith snorted as she turned toward the door.

"We'll see," she said, and walked briskly to the door. Before Seth could even run away, it was thrown open, and the priest let out a squeak of surprise. He now stood… or more, knelt face-to-face with Sith, and as Bakura looked from behind her, he gave Seth a venomous glare, angered that they had been spied on. Sith merely said, "What a surprise."

"Why the hell are you eavesdropping!?" Bakura demanded, but a raised hand from Sith silenced him.

"Are you truly going to go along with this?" Seth asked, referring to Sith leaving Egypt by herself, and when she nodded, he exclaimed, "You're crazy! You can't go alone!" He expected Sith to retort sharply, and to even blame him for it, but instead, she just smiled. She pointed to Bakura.

"I'm not going alone," she replied calmly, "Bakura is accompanying me." Bakura just gave a grin of pride, and Seth's head dropped. That was _not_ what he meant at all, and he knew Sith was just being difficult. He also knew that if she pulled this, Atemu would have a heart attack. And as much as the pharaoh making himself look like an idiot amused Seth, the ensuing insanity he'd display negated any pleasure his folly could bring. Seth's eye twitched. This was just like before, except it wasn't entirely his fault now.

"You're not going _period_," Seth stated, and as Sith perked an interested brow, he said, "As High Priest of the Pharaoh and the royal Messenger, I forbid it!" This time, Sith burst out laughing at him, and Bakura managed just a faint chuckle. Seth twitched again, wondering just what Sith found to be so funny. He got his answer when Sith regained her posture and gave him a look of such superiority, that he knew he had absolutely no power over her. Hell, he doubted even Atemu had any power over her with _that_ expression.

"I am the _queen_ of Nesce, and _you_ are going to forbid _me_ of _going to my home_?" she asked, emphasizing her station, "Surely, you jest! I will go, and you will do nothing to stop me, or I will ask that you be removed from me. Not only am I the queen of Nesce, I am also the Knight of the Pharaoh and Master-of-Arms. You would never survive in a battle against me, and as a priest, you should worry on that." Seth's mouth dropped open. She may have been right, but her insolence! He wanted to grab her sword and shove it right up her ass until it came through her skull. It was only through the knowledge that she was right that he didn't act on it. That, and he knew this was possibly his last chance for redemption. He sighed.

"And I do, but you can't do this," Seth reasoned calmly, "Please, Sith, think about this. If you were to die, both sides would be crushed by Rath." Sith paused, her lips pursed as she looked at the priest. She knew that point, and had chosen to go regardless. She glanced to Bakura, and he nodded, understanding her reasoning behind it. She looked back to Seth.

"I am a knight," she replied, "I am a soldier first, and a queen later. My job… no, my _moral_, is to save the many before servicing the few. I will risk my life to stop this war before she strikes you and if I lose my life, then so be it. But I will _not_ let her get to anyone in this kingdom." With that, she stepped past Seth, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Bakura blinked at Seth, and then followed her silently, the two of them heading toward the staircase. Before she descended, Sith looked back at the priest and said, "Mark my words. If you try to stop me, you will only be aiding Rath. As a member of the pharaoh's court, I would hate to have to kill you for treason." Seth knew her threat instantly: she'd kill him if he even attempted to alert anyone. He nodded, and watched both knight and thief slip out of the giant doors to the courtyard. Once again, Sith Winchester was no longer in the presence of the pharaoh. Seth merely prayed that he could cover her disappearance again.

The next morning, all felt dead as Seth awoke in his chambers. He sat up and looked out of his window, but gray clouds had rolled in, causing whatever faint sunlight there was to be dulled. It cast a terribly thick blanket of gloom around the palace and its surrounding territory, and as Seth slowly pulled himself out of bed, he noticed that there were no sounds anywhere. Considering that the plans for an all-out war were in effect, that was wrong. Dressing himself quickly, Seth rushed into the hallway, glancing around as he dashed down the corridor. Something felt very wrong, and not just because Sith had left. It felt as though she'd taken all manner of enthusiasm for war with her. No servants were about; no priests were making any form of preparation. In fact, it looked as though no one was even living there anymore. Seth burst into the audience chamber, and wasn't surprised to find it completely empty. He shivered. This was all wrong. Even the pharaoh was gone.

"Where… did everyone go!?" he exclaimed, his voice echoing off of the walls. Normally, the room would be full and no sound could reverberate. This morning was starkly different. Seth lowered his head. Had this all happened because he let Sith leave? No… Sith wasn't the reason. But she was one of the catalysts for it. That much, Seth knew.

"It's about time you got yer ass outta bed!" came Cydandilus's gruff voice, and Seth turned, "We've been waitin' for hours! What the hell kept you!?"

"Where is everyone!?" Seth demanded, "What happened!?" Normally, he hated to see the old Esper, but now he was just glad to see _someone_. Cyd grinned, obviously feeling generous that morning.

"They're on the Albatross," Cyd replied, "Fastest ship in the Esper fleet, that one. It took some time to convince Ruon to help us fish the damn thing out, but he pulled through!" Seth blinked. Once again, Ruon helped them tremendously. He secretly wondered if that was also Sith's doing. She'd be the only one who could've told Ruon that they were planning to strike back.

"But _what happened_?" Seth redirected, "Were we attacked?" Cyd nodded.

"It all happened so fast. Rath smashed a huge laser our way and blew off the top of the palace! We're damn lucky we were down here," Cyd explained, "At that time, Ruon and a few other fleets came, but when we clashed with him… he asked for the pharaoh. Sithy was with 'em, so we had to trust 'em." Seth blinked. He _saw_ Sith leave with Bakura _last night_. That meant Ruon had met her… but how could she have gotten there so fast? And, did that mean…

"Sith returned?" he blurted out, and Cyd gave him a suspicious look. Then he seemed to cast the notion aside.

"She brought every fleet she could. You wouldn't believe what seeing their queen could do for those numbskulls," Cyd replied, grinning again, "When Rath heard, she went ballistic and fired again, but Bahamut and Tiamat reflected every shot. I can't believe you slept through it all, boy!" To be honest, Seth couldn't believe he slept through something like that, either. He must've been exhausted. But even so, he asked to be taken to the Albatross, and Cyd obeyed. They left out one of the back ways, something that Seth decided had to be for stealth, and soon came upon where the large army now stood, consisting of nearly half being human, and everyone else being Espers. And, to carry them sat four very large airships. Seth couldn't believe his eyes. Sith had amassed not just an army; she seemed to be commanding an entire _world_ now.

"Sith… you did this!?" he asked, as he walked to the knight in question. She turned and nodded grimly.

"I didn't tell you my entire plan," she replied, "And Ruon just happened to be patrolling. It was what we'd call _divine timing_." Seth laughed. Even for an Esper, that was incredibly lucky. The battle had to be in their favor now. Just then, Ruon walked up to Sith, his bulky form hidden underneath even heavier armor. It looked almost comical to see him taking orders from the smaller woman.

"Everyone's split up into the four fleets, ma'am," he told her, "Bahamut and Tiamat are leading the brigades until we reach half-way there. Then they'll be splitting apart from us to attack the rear."

"And the ground forces?" Sith inquired.

"Fenrir, Terrato, Jormungandre, and Erelith are taking care of that," Ruon replied calmly, "Rath won't escape the full fury of our race. With you at our head once again, we can finally take Aeroglyph back." Sith nodded, and for once, smiled genuinely. Seth couldn't help but return the smile. This was Sith's battlefield. This was where she always belonged, and where her greatest strength was. It was no wonder she had handled it all so well.

"Then we move out," she stated, "Let's get our attack moving before she decimates the palace." Ruon nodded, and left to begin shouting Sith's orders. All at once, everyone climbed into the various ships. Sith headed to the biggest one, the Albatross, and jumped up onto its deck as others simply went in through the side. Seth wanted to join her, to ask what her attack would include, but he seemed to have a decent idea. With the Espers, it wouldn't matter what Rath's defense included; their magic would crush any resistance she managed, even if she still had underlings left. Now he understood why Claude chose what he did for Sith. This was the force of both Egypt and Nesce working hand-in-hand, and it was a considerable, slightly terrifying number indeed. He knew that _only_ Rath was mad enough to continue to fight even against such terrible odds. And, as he boarded the airship, he had to salute Sith. She was easily becoming the head of the war, despite her serving the _pharaoh_.

"…if he had a problem with that, he'd have stopped her before now," Seth reasoned with himself, as he looked just once more at the deck before disappearing into the interior of the ship, "Good job, Sith. Good job." And then, the ships began to take off. Their next destination was lying north, and the next few hours would decide if Egypt won, or if Rath would destroy them. Seth could barely wait for it to begin.

--(End Chapter)

And so, with their meetings adjourned, their supplies packed, and all allies mustered, Atemu and his court finally head to war with Rath instead of doing reconnaissance. This time, the stakes are tipped into their favor, but is the outcome really that clear? Even with all Espers on their side, can Egypt win the ensuing assaults from the citadel Rath claimed as her own? Or will they fail once again in stopping Rath before she focuses her attacks elsewhere? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	22. Sparklefire: An Alternative to Gunpowder

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe Egypt's going to war. He'd have thought Zork was enough. Zork was a letdown to me.

The wait proved to be much more tiresome than Seth ever would've thought possible as the large ship sailed slowly through the clouds, the other three sailing just slightly behind it. At first, he contented to just sit in the seat quietly, watching as Sith spoke to Atemu, or as the other high priests talked amongst themselves, but eventually, that became too repetitive for his liking. Everyone seemed to be discussing the war, and Seth would've done _anything_ to block the conversations out after the first twenty minutes. But the only solutions were magic, and neither priest nor Esper would deem it wise to deafen one of their own.

After he tried futility to remain in his seat, eventually Seth gave that up and stalked to the windowsill, watching with disinterest as the clouds drifted. He could barely see Bahamut up ahead, the dragon's form ripping through the clouds as though they were cotton candy. A few of the more irritated soldiers wanted to open the windows just to see if they could actually rip off a piece of the puffy substances, but stern glances from Sith always kept them in check. Seth just sighed. This was easily his least favorite aspect of war. Waiting was like the enemies' form of mental torture, and by the time Bakura actually walked over to the sill, Seth began to wonder if anyone could actually die from mental dormancy.

"Bored as hell too, right?" Bakura asked, his voice popping Seth out of his inner slur. The priest side-glanced the thief coldly, but didn't object to the company. Considering that they were on the same team, it'd do best for him if he showed at least a little kindness, even if Bakura didn't entirely deserve it.

"What if her entire plan is to make us wait so long that we just give up?" Seth suggested, almost joking. Bakura snorted, crossing his arms as he sat down on the sill, looking into the field of swirling white and blue as they dove into another cloud. The higher they climbed, the more the sun poked through, revealing a beautiful day. Seth almost cursed it for being so lovely.

"If that were the case, I doubt she'd have attacked at all," Bakura reasoned, a smirk crossing his face, "Try again."

"Go away," Seth growled, definitely not in the mood to banter around with Bakura. He leaned on the sill, resting his head on one arm as he looked out the window. He could almost feel Bakura's smug expression on his back, but didn't bother to turn around. He didn't need to see Bakura's all too familiar grin.

"Aww, come on. You have to do _something_ while on this thing," Bakura said, throwing his arms up in exasperation. Seth glanced back, but remained absolutely reluctant in his speech to Bakura.

"I _am_ doing something," he pointed out, "I'm sulking."

"And what a waste of time that is, too," Sith said, coming up behind the two, "You could be listening to the ideas Mahaado's been planning. I have to say, priests are much sneakier than I'd have thought." Seth turned to throw a glare at the Esper, but Sith was already walking away, heading toward where Cyd was steering the ship. Curious about what she said, Seth turned to find Mahaado, Karim, and Isis sitting at one of the tables with two Espers, a map of some sort sprawled on the table. He couldn't hear what was being said, but it was something of great importance. They spoke in low whispers at the loudest. He nudged Bakura, and the thief looked down at him, mildly bored with whatever Seth could possibly enlighten him with.

"They're speaking, and I can't hear them," Seth pointed out obviously, "What are they saying?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, almost amused that Seth would be asking him to eavesdrop. He turned to the group in question and narrowed his eyes. But, like Seth, he couldn't hear anything particular. He turned back to the priest.

"And you honestly think I have better luck?" Bakura retorted, just a slight scorn in his voice, "Wow, you must be desperate to waste both your time and mine. Why not go over and _ask_ them?"

"Because that'd require interaction I don't want to instigate," Seth sighed, returning his stare out of the window, "I'm going to sleep this trip off. Wake me up when something interesting actually happens." He closed his eyes to try to drift off to sleep. Bakura grunted in annoyance, but Seth didn't bother to open his eyes. He wouldn't let a thief disrupt him. For a moment, all felt silent as Seth casually let his mind wander, ignoring the noise as soldiers behind him hustled around the ships, carrying messages or just trying to pass time. But, then even those noises began to subside. Seth was curious as to what was going on, but no one spoke. He didn't feel the ship land, so he didn't think they'd landed yet, unless the ship's transition was nearly flawless. Then, he felt something outside stir, and opened just one eye. And then he screamed as he saw a huge mouth filled with teeth. A roar filled the air as many human soldiers near one side of the ship screeched and inched away, and then most of the Espers just laughed heartily. Seth, who'd fallen over from a near heart-attack, just staggered up. At the window was one large, golden eye. A dragon's eye.

"Was that interesting?" came Tiamat's highly amused voice, and Seth grumbled angrily. He never expected Espers to play such tricks on people; he thought they were all as straightforward and dry as Sith was. Tiamat's eye blinked, and everyone felt a rumble as she chuckled, obviously feeling her little trick was quite clever. Seth turned away indignantly, and Sith looked over, giving a half-smile and rolling her eyes in disbelief at the older Esper. Atemu tried not to laugh at Seth's expense, but Bakura didn't even bother hiding his amusement. He practically rolled off the sill in laughter. Seth shot him a furious glare before storming over to Sith, who was probably the only one who wasn't outright laughing at the incident. She watched him patiently, crossing her arms slowly as he stopped in front of her. His anger subsided just slightly, as he _was_ somewhat grateful that she wasn't actually laughing at him.

"Tell those Espers to stop trying to give me a damned heart attack," he growled. Sith let out a chuckle, unfolded one arm, and patted Seth on the shoulder.

"If you expect me to stop them from making the atmosphere a bit lighter, then you're going to be disappointed, Priest Seth," she replied calmly, shaking her head, "I don't have control over anyone here, even if I'm rightfully their queen." Seth's eye twitched just a bit, annoyed as he was with Sith's answer. He glanced toward Atemu for some form of guidance, but the pharaoh seemed to agree with Sith, for he nodded.

"That's how power works, Seth," he added, smiling serenely, "Just because Sith and I are figureheads in our societies, that's all we are. We can't control anyone's actions just because we don't like them."

"If you could, then you'd be no better than Rath," Sceppiro finished, and Seth just sighed. He only meant to ask them to tone down the disruption, not to control their people with an iron fist. But he could see their points. Even if they asked, there was nothing that could actually keep anyone from annoying Seth. He lifted his arms in mock surrender, raised a brow, and turned to take his seat back at the sill. Bakura was still there, though he actually did manage to crash onto the floor. He was currently trying to shoo away two guards that had come to help him, and they left reluctantly, half-worried that the thief actually hurt himself. Bakura watched them go with wary intent, and then grinned when he saw that Seth was returning. He patted the seat next to him, but Seth just became determined to stand up. He told himself a thousand times already to not do whatever Bakura said; oftentimes, it always made Seth look like an ass.

"Well, that was a bit of fun, wasn't it?" Bakura asked, almost sarcastically. But Seth knew Bakura derived some form of pleasure in watching Tiamat play with him. Seth just huffed impatiently, and Bakura's grin lessened only slightly as he said, "Relax. We're all trying to keep our nerves down. With the battle coming up, you really want us to go fighting with our nerves wound as tight as a lyre?" Seth's lips thinned. Technically, Bakura did have a good point. If they went into the battle, nervous and on edge, that was just a recipe for absolute disaster. Not even Sith would be able to control the chaos. Seth climbed onto the sill next to Bakura and stared intently over the horizon.

"Maybe so, but I don't want it at _my_ expense," he replied, his voice remaining surprisingly even. Bakura blinked, noticing that Seth didn't seem nearly as mad as he'd thought. Seth smiled weakly, looked over and asked, "So, aside from laughing at me, what did I miss?" Bakura's clueless expression just worsened with that question. Was Seth's attempt at comradery… genuine? He looked at Seth for just a second longer, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise at the question. Then he too looked out at the bright sky.

"Well, I did ask Mahaado what he and the others were planning," Bakura answered, unsuccessfully trying to keep his surprise out of his voice, "Apparently, they're trying to decide which entrance into Aeroglyph should be used for the ground forces, and what we can do to get inside of the castle." Seth hummed a bit as he thought on that. He'd only been in the castle for a short while, and the only entrance he saw was the front one. Unless they were planning on using the windows, he didn't see what the point was.

"Isn't it better to ask Sith or Sceppiro about that?" he asked, perking a slightly bewildered brow at Bakura's reply, "They should be able to tell us, even if the castle's changed, right?" Bakura's lips pursed as he tried to think of an answer that wouldn't completely topple Seth's straining calm. He _had_ asked that to Mahaado himself, but Mahaado politely told him that Sith and Sceppiro were already busy with making sure all of their units were kept in control. Bakura ended up just shrugging.

"With the exception of the short time we spent, Sith hasn't been to Aeroglyph in years," Bakura reminded him, "And Sceppiro didn't utilize a lot of advantages Aeroglyph has. Even if they did know, we can't assume that the passages will still be there."

"Then what about the fleets that came _from_ Aeroglyph?" Seth inquired. When Bakura looked at him skeptically, he slipped off of the sill and said, "Look, I want to trust Mahaado, but we can't poke around blindly. Have they even asked any of the Espers?" Bakura nodded, and pointed to where Mahaado sat. Two Espers were indeed sitting with him as they poured over the maps laid on the table. Isis had left, Seth noticed, and Karim was discussing something with Shaddah. But Mahaado was definitely working as diligently as he could.

"I don't respect any of you, but none of you are stupid enough to plan ahead without consulting an Esper when it comes to _their territory_," Bakura stated, almost grimly, "I doubt any of them can guess what Rath might've done to Aeroglyph now, though. It's been hours since the first shot was fired. She might have completely shifted the castle again." Seth snorted. He remembered clearly when that happened, and they just happened to be trying to escape from Aeroglyph. He had wondered then, and was still wondering now, if Sith even knew Aeroglyph _could_ shift. He couldn't remember if he brought it up, but if he hadn't, it would surface sometime soon. The priest leaned back a bit, careful not to let his back slip off the side of the window pane. The sunlight felt soothing against his skin, despite being so high in the air.

"It might be safer to assume she had than to say she hasn't," Seth commented, slowly closing his eyes, "It's better to brace ourselves for something disadvantageous than to get our hopes up, eh?" Bakura glanced at him, and then laughed, patting the priest's stomach in encouragement. That was a rule he tried to implement on any other thief he passed, and it had circulated into a given law among his kind. Any weakness, even mental, had to be avoided unless someone wanted to die.

"You're actually thinking like a thief!" Bakura remarked, proudly. When Seth snorted smugly, Bakura's grin widened and he said, "No, seriously, I'm very surprised! Guess my intelligence is rubbing off, eh?" Seth snorted again, and opened an eye just in time to see Sith pass them both, lightly smacking Bakura on the back of the head. He rubbed where she had hit him, and looked at her intently. She turned just slightly and smiled warmly at them both.

"Don't get arrogant, Bakura," she reminded gently, "What Seth said is merely common sense. It's better to prepare for danger than it is to count on unchanged safety. That way, no matter what, nothing comes as a shock. If indeed she hasn't changed Aeroglyph _again_, then it's just a small blessing from the gods." Bakura's grin didn't fade, although his eyes did narrow a bit from Sith's words. Seth just gave out a small chuckle at Bakura's expense, and sat back up, shaking his head. Leave it to Sith to deflate anyone's unwavering confidence in themselves. He looked over at Bakura, and the thief's expression was almost comical at that point. He stood up and lightly shook a fist at the knight.

"Yeah, well, ask any thief along the Nile about _that_ one, my dear!" he exclaimed, "They'll all tell you that Bakura, the _king of thieves_, taught them _that_ lovely, little rule!" If he actually expected to impress Sith, he was disappointed. All his efforts managed was an amused laugh from the knight as she walked over to where Ruon stood with his own legion of soldiers. They spoke briefly, but in the language of the Espers. Seth scowled in annoyance, because that meant he couldn't understand a word of what they happened to be discussing. Bakura side-glanced, snorted smugly, and said, "They're discussing what form of physical combat is best. Ruon thinks guns are acceptable, but Sith is worried about ammo and accuracy. She wants it to be clean and fast, and she's thinking on the way of the sword. Big surprise on that one." Seth's eyes widened as he just stared at Bakura in disbelief. Bakura's grin just kept growing as he looked upon Seth's flabbergasted face.

"How in all Hell can you know what they're talking about!?" the priest demanded, his voice threatening to break in exasperation, "They're speaking in _Esper!_" Bakura just snorted and returned his gaze to the sky outside, trying not to let too much smugness into his grin.

"Remember the Esper I said I knew back at the docks?" Bakura reminded, "He taught me. That, and my thief senses give me unnaturally good hearing." Seth just rolled his eyes and shook his head. He highly doubted being a thief actually did anything to improve one's senses, but he wasn't in the mood to argue something that seemed so pointless to him. He looked back over to where the knight had once stood, but both she and Ruon had left. Seth frowned, wondering where they had gone in the split second that neither he nor Bakura had been watching. He looked back at Bakura, who was enjoying letting the sun shine on his face.

"Thief, where did Knight Sith go?" he asked curiously, and Bakura opened one eye when he heard the bit of worry in the priest's voice, "Did you happen to see?"

"Er… no, but…" Bakura yelped as the ship suddenly jolted to a stop, and everyone within was thrown backwards. Both he and Seth heard books being slammed off of the shelves, and trinkets being broken from the weight of everyone on board the ship. Immediately, Bakura rolled off of the sill, his agility allowing him to retain his balance whereas most everyone else was struggling to get off of the ground. His brows pinched in frustration, he ran across the large room and toward where Cyd was trying to control the wheel. But, the pilot seemed angry with something unseen as sweat collected on his brow.

"What the hell happened!?" Bakura demanded, trying to help Cyd with the wheel. But something was jamming it. That's what had caused the ship to stagger to a violent stop. Cyd grunted as he tried to free the wheel, and then let out an outrageous sigh, slapping the wheel with a force that really should have broken it.

"Ship's been jammed!" Cyd yelled, throwing his arms up, "Damned line's been put on a stop!"

"What… could've… done this?" Sceppiro asked, struggling to get out from under Atemu and a larger Esper, both of which fell on him during the airborne crash. Seth saw Sith emerge from a pile of books near the back, Ruon and a third Esper struggling to help her out.

"Someone needs… to ask the dragons," she called forcefully, "They'd know." Seth nodded grimly, and quickly thrust open the window nearest to himself. The wind had died down completely now that the ship was halted, and the clouds that used to ripple underneath the ship were at a complete standstill. It all felt eerie to happen so suddenly, but Seth ignored that for now. He stuck his head out and looked around frantically for any sign of either dragon.

"_TIAMAT!_" he yelled as loudly as he could, "_TIAMAT, BAHAMUT, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!_" He felt a rush of air, and screamed as he pulled himself in. Tiamat came rushing to the ship's side, having heard the frenzy in Seth's voice. One of her golden eyes filled the window as she looked around at all of the scattered, dizzied occupants within the room.

"What is it, child?" she asked urgently, her gentle voice calming down those that had begun to lose their nerve. Seth stopped shivering and regained his posture, the initial shock of Tiamat's large frame exiting his mind.

"We've been halted. What's going on?" Seth demanded, though not unkindly, "We can't even get the wheel back." Tiamat's large eye blinked, but it was Bahamut who answered. His voice sounded farther away, and Seth had a feeling he had actually gone to investigate what could've been happening. Bakura came back to the window at that point, and Seth noticed that he looked far graver than he had been before. It sent chills up the priest's spine.

"We've been spotted," Bahamut replied grimly, his voice sounding slightly faltered from the distance, "It appears that she knows how we're planning to attack. She's frozen our engines with powerful spells, and I'm not even sure I can break them from this distance."

"Damn it!" Bakura hissed, and Seth turned to him, true fear etched on his face, "She's going to destroy the dragons while we're stuck here, unable to fight her!" Bakura's fists clenched viciously, his eyes narrowing in hatred at what was happening. Seth was almost taken aback by the thief's anger toward the setback; it was as though he could see that they'd lose the dragons. Seth bit his lip, trying to figure out how to calm Bakura down, but two crashes near to them caught both of their attention. Everyone saw glass shattering, but whoever had jumped had moved too quickly to be identified. At least, too quickly at first. Everyone watched as two more dragons now emerged; one golden with a silver streak going down its head, the other silver with purple markings on its face. Bakura's face drained of color. He knew them instantly.

"_SITH!_" he screamed, as he and Atemu ran to the windows that had broken, "Sith, stop! Come back!"

"Sceppiro! Sith! Come on, ya idiots! Don't be rash!" Cyd also yelled, hoping to draw them back before they were hit, "_GET OVER HERE BEFORE I SHOOT YER DAMN ASSES!_" But they knew they were too late. Sith and Sceppiro continued off with Tiamat, soaring through the sky in a haste that no magic alone could've conjured. Everyone else watched in silence, no one believing the turn their battle now took. How Rath could've seen this, Seth could only guess. He had been sure their plan was stealthy enough for Rath to not be able to put a complete shutdown on, but then he remembered that no one had brought up the question of security for the dragons. That was a flaw, and now it was kicking them hard.

"What do we do now?" he asked, turning to Atemu, Bakura, and Cyd, all three of whom looked completely defeated by the departure of their best warriors. The answer should've been to retreat, but Seth knew too well that they had gone in too far; retreat would take far longer than just continuing their attack. But without either Sith or Sceppiro to control the flow of damage, Seth couldn't be certain of how long they'd last, either. Atemu turned to him, his face hard with the realization that they were severely screwed.

"We have no choice but to find a way to get into Nesce," he replied, "We _can't_ run away, and even if the ships are stationary, we can use them as decoys now."

"_WHAT!?_" Cyd screamed from behind him, and both he and Seth turned, slightly struck with the power behind the old Esper's voice, "You honestly telling me we're going to _let them destroy my ships!? My BABIES!?_" Atemu's eyes widened in terror as he backed away from Cyd, who was glowering with absolute outrage at the idea. Seth didn't know whether to have expected that or just run from the room, and only Bakura seemed the least bit in control of his feelings. He put a hand on Cyd's shoulder to calm the older man down, and Cyd snapped to glare at him as well, despite him not having said a thing.

"Relax, old fool. No one's said anything about destroying your ships," the thief replied, "The pharaoh simply suggested it, and I happen to think it's a bad idea. If we lose these ships, we can't do anything to her. Ground forces alone can't stop her, especially if she uses the sky to battle."

"Then what can we do?" Mahaado asked him, supporting Shaddah on his shoulder, who had fallen into a bookcase from the crash, "Bakura, we can't stay here or we might die." Bakura looked at Mahaado flatly. That was true, but even if they abandoned the ships and continued on foot, their lives were no safer. And it'd make it nearly impossible for either Sith or Sceppiro to land safely if they managed to help the other two dragons. It was a difficult situation.

"We'll die regardless of what we do," Bakura reminded him, "Everyone eventually dies, priest. The question is, which way will keep our asses out of the fire the longest. And, I think staying up here's the answer. If Sith thought we'd be in danger, she'd have told us to leave before jumping out there herself." Mahaado opened his mouth to argue, but simply ended up closing it a moment later. Bakura was right; Sith would've instructed them before just leaving the way she had. Seth glanced around the room, studying the faces of all the soldiers and warriors participating in the battle. Most of the humans were terrified, confused, and looking ready to collapse in fright from what was going on. However, nearly all of the Espers seemed to be controlling their fear. Only the youngest had difficulty. Ruon especially looked like he had almost expected Sith to jump. That made Seth curious, as he wondered just how well Bakura actually translated the conversation the guard had with Sith.

"I think Bakura's right," Seth stated, and everyone turned to him in complete surprise, their mouths dropping open, "If we don't stay, and Sith and her brother come back, they're not going to have any idea where we are and what happened. Rath's trying to force us all to attack from the ground. That'll give her the advantage entirely." Bakura just blinked, half-wondering if he heard Seth wrong. The priest never agreed with him before; hell, Seth never appeared to agree with _anyone_ before, but here he was. Seth glanced at Bakura, and nodded his head to tell the thief to continue with his speculation. Bakura hummed, and then inclined his head slightly.

"What we need to make sure of is that we can still use the cannons on our ships," he said firmly, "Cyd, are they frozen?" Cyd's brows pinched in a frown, and he turned back to the wheel, turning a smaller gear on the panel. They heard a cranking of something large moving on the deck, and then Cyd's usually confident grin returned as he snapped his goggles onto his eyes.

"They're workin' just fine, boy!" he exclaimed proudly, giving Bakura the thumbs-up, "She ain't even freeze 'em!" Bakura just snorted; they weren't entirely helpless now. He grinned, looking at Atemu, Mahaado, and Seth for approval for him to continue with his plan, and all of them nodded. Despite him being the last person who should be leading the kingdom, all three of them were interested in just how far his plan would be going. He turned back to Cyd.

"How far can they fire?" he asked. Cyd tapped his chin as he recalled the answer.

"These ones? I made 'em special. They'll stay airborne until they slam into a target," the old Esper replied proudly, "I didn't want to take a chance that we'd aim short and take out our own men!" Bakura's lips pursed, not knowing if he should've pointed out that if they aimed entirely wrong, the ballistic would stay airborne until it hit _anything_, including something thousands of miles from there. Cyd just seemed so proud, and he hated to dash the Esper's spirits. He decided to let it slide, knowing the likelihood of a misfire was very small. He could _see_ Aeroglyph from there, its high peaks poking through the sky like a large, black crystal.

"Then we can shoot down the citadel from here," Bakura told them all, "We might be able to win without so much as moving as long as we can hit them."

"And what if we kill innocent Espers in the process?" one such creature asked, and Seth recognized him as Vanargand, from when he snuck into Aeroglyph, "There are still many people inside the citadel who couldn't escape." Bakura's eyes widened. He had assumed everyone had escaped Aeroglyph, but now, he knew that would've made things too easy. Rath left the cannons on purpose, as if to tell them that even with weapons, no mortal was a match for her. He cursed, his brows pinching in anger as he tried to think of an alternative plan. But with their ships frozen, there really wasn't much they could do. He knew she was trying to herd them to the ground.

"We can't go on foot," he said grimly, "That's what she wants us to do."

"Do we wait for Lady Sith to return?" Mana asked, tugging Bakura's cloak. Bakura just sighed heavily. He didn't know what the answer was. And he doubted Sith would have any more luck than he was having. After all, he was a thief, and getting out of situations like this was his specialty. He reminded himself that as he continued to rack his brain. People were counting on him to succeed, as he knew he'd taken charge of the battle with Sith gone. He breathed deeply.

"No. Sith will be exhausted when she gets back," Bakura answered, "For now… I think all we can do is bluff." He felt many, many pairs of eyes settling on him in disbelief, and it almost made him wince. True, that was the worst plan to come up with, considering how boxed in they were, but if they could actually scare Rath, that'd stop her attack on the dragons for just a little while. Unfortunately, the problem right then was convincing everyone else to give it a try. No one looked willing to risk it.

"A bluff? Are you serious?" Seth asked, raising a skeptical brow, "Thief, you understand how truly idiotic that sounds, don't you?"

"Well, what else do you want!?" Bakura snapped, and when no one could provide an answer, he continued, "Look, we can't do a damn as it stands. Rath is going to try taking out the dragons first, and they're our best bet right now until someone fixes the engines. If we can get her attention off of them long enough for the four of them to slaughter everything that could oppose us on the way inside, we stand a much better chance of winning. The question is, are you all going to help me, or do I need to do this alone?" People all around shuffled nervously, none of them knowing just how to answer. Bakura was right, in the end. Something _had_ to be done to help the dragons. Bakura waited patiently for an answer, but none was given until Cyd snickered. And then, the old Esper just laughed, patting Bakura on the back.

"That's a good speech you gave there, boy. You got me convinced!" he exclaimed, and turned to the rest of the crowd, "All right, ya damn sissies! We're gonna help Bakura with his little plan here, so if yer too scared of a little fire, get the hell off my ship and crawl back to Egypt with yer tail between yer legs! If not, help me load the cannons with Sparklefire! On the _double!_" Bakura was impressed by the results Cyd had on everyone. Immediately, many Espers, and many humans, followed the older man out onto the deck, carrying barrels of a substance Bakura couldn't name. He saw just a glimpse of purple powder, but couldn't actually be sure of what it was. He just knew it wasn't actual cannon fire. He turned to Seth, who also watched the crowd moving with sheer amazement. Cyd was definitely good at ordering everyone around.

"…Sparklefire?" the priest repeated with a snort, "What the hell do you think that is?" Unfortunately, Bakura didn't know. He just watched as Cyd loaded the powder into the cannons, speaking quickly in the radio he carried to alert the captains of the other three ships into doing the same. If he hadn't known how serious Cyd actually was, he'd have thought it was a joke; the powder _glittered_ when it fell to the floor. He could only imagine what sort of distraction Cyd was actually going for, and had to laugh at the Espers and their ideas concerning weapons of war. Glitter was one he'd never think of. Smiling widely, he simply leaned back as Espers and humans alike hovered around the cannon nervously as one brave soul lit the fuse with a long match. Any second, they'd see just what this _Sparklefire_ could do.

"Whatever it is, I have a feeling I'm going to love it," Bakura replied, and silently counted down the second as the fuse burned toward the end, where it would set off the first of many explosions. Bakura could hardly wait to see it.

--(End Chapter)

And so, even though Sith and Sceppiro left the fleet to help Bahamut and Tiamat evade Rath's attacks, it looks like Bakura pulled through with an attack of his own, however unusual it would be. With Cyd taking care of the distraction directly with his usual gruff attitude, all should go well for them. At the very least, Rath will see _something_ she deems as a second threat. But, will they actually be able to help the dragons escape? How much damage will Rath do if she does attack the ships? Will the remaining prisoners in Aeroglyph escape to the safety of Egypt? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	23. Collateral Damage

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he wants to buy the deeds to Sparklefire. I tried to trade with him, but he wants it for free. I don't give freebies.

It was all happening so fast, too fast for her mind to keep up. One moment, she had jumped the ship and allowed herself to become what was impossible under normal circumstances, and the next, she was flying with a speed that no normal creature could attain toward the ominous, threatening spires of darkness that had once been her birthplace. She tried to make sense of it, but only her semi-human mind could grasp fully the emotions she was trying to feel; sure, she could still talk, but that was of no use to any of them as they flew through the air. And even worse, both her semi-human and angry-cat minds were trying to wrestle control of their body. She had to make all of her minds cooperate, if she could.

'_Stop! We can't leave them like that!_' Sith said, but only in her mind could she see her normal self flying next to her, looking at her with terror, '_They need us!_' The dragon stared at the woman for a moment, and then returned her gaze forward as she continued her flight. A soft growl fell from her lips as she angled herself on a draft of cold wind, rising upwards a few feet.

'_I know they do, but we have to do this_,' Sith the dragon replied calmly, '_I won't let my friends die so easily. Trust me._' Normally, this didn't happen if and when she transformed, but what happened was a special case. Sith had literally been torn apart three ways because of what Rath did. She couldn't decide which thought process occupied her more. Just on the other side of the dragon, another phantom of Sith flew, this time her hair in a thick mane of white, resembling a nearly perfect combination of cat and human. Unlike the first phantom, her fury was apparent.

'_WE DO THIS MY WAY!_' she roared angrily, her voice holding a tone Sith had never used, '_LET ME OUT! I'LL SLAUGHTER RATH!_' The dragon let a sigh loose between her jaws. There was no reasoning with _this_ Sith.

'_No. Stop it. I know I'm torn apart, but we have to do this,_' the dragon said again, '_Let me focus._' Both phantoms disappeared, and Sith felt both of them receding back inside of her again. That relieved her; transforming back would be a bit easier on her if she could get her mind organized. She returned her gaze to the citadel that came closer with each beat of her wings. They were getting close to the end of the battle, if they could just get inside. Rath would pay for everything; everything that was resulting in this world's instability. She grunted when she felt a small drift of air below her, and turned her neck to see a golden dragon shifting to fly alongside her. He was bigger, but Sith had to slow to let him keep her pace.

'_Sith, I think they're going to try attacking her,_' came Sceppiro's voice, '_How are you holding up? Can you make it there?_' Sith's eyes slid back to Aeroglyph, her large, scaly brows creasing in determination. She had a lot of strength, but time was running out, and she knew they had very little of it to work with. She was just glad she got herself in order.

'_Yes, but my mind can't decide what I am,_' she replied sternly, '_Am I the loyal knight, the vicious killer, or the dragon? I want to do three things at once, Sceppiro._' The older dragon nodded his head, and for a moment, he didn't respond to his sister. One of his nostrils twitched, leaving Sith wondering what he was trying to do. Nothing in the air smelled of anything more than gunpowder and engine fuel. Then, suddenly, Sceppiro smiled.

'_Well, just focus on what you want most_,' he told him, a tone to his voice suggesting that whatever he sensed, he knew something Sith didn't, '_If you want to turn back and help them, I think three dragons can handle it._'

'_Are you… certain?_' Sith asked warily, wondering if Sceppiro was just trying to joke with her. She slowed a little more until she was barely moving at all. Sceppiro skidded to a stop, and looked back at his sister. He was certain that he wanted her to do what _she_ felt was right, but he didn't actually know how the other two dragons would take it. As if to answer their worry, Bahamut came up shortly behind them. He made a rumble in his throat, and with his link to them cut off for protection, they couldn't tell if he was laughing or grumbling. He stopped just short of them before he spoke to them both.

'_Go to your friends, Sith_,' he said seriously, '_We can handle this. We did not expect both of you to come, and conditions have changed. They will need you to lead them again in the next attack._' Bahamut made another rumble in his chest, and it turned into a definite chuckle as he added, '_If only because Bakura isn't doing a good job, and Atemu will be far, far worse._' Sceppiro laughed, his voice sounding like a shriek than anything anyone would consider a laugh. Sith's eyes widened as Bahamut spoke the last part, her wings ruffling in the wind.

'…_Bakura? They have seriously allowed _Bakura_ to lead them!?_' she asked, and shook her massive head, '_They truly must want to move. I had better go and make sure they haven't done anything stupid._' Sceppiro laughed again, making Sith wince. She wished he'd use their mental voices for that, just like they did when they spoke, but he had his own reasons to bark and screech. He looked at his sister almost adoringly as she turned herself toward the direction of the ships.

'_You mean like actually trying to fire at Rath?_' he inquired. Sith merely grumbled, and was about to take off, but then she stopped herself and thought about Sceppiro's words. That was definitely the stupidest idea to pull, especially with the ships jammed up. She sighed.

'_That_ is _a very dumb idea_,' she agreed, '_Bakura would definitely suggest that. I'll be off._'

'_Be safe, young Esper_,' came Tiamat's voice, and Sith's lips curled into a dragon's idea of a smile. She nodded, and flapped her wings once when a huge explosion sounded, causing her to yelp as she slid down quite a way. Sceppiro broke and flew off in terror, and both Bahamut and Tiamat dropped as well, stunned by such a massive boom. It sounded as though the explosion was only feet away from them, and the ensuing force of the impact pushed them back further. Being the first to recover, Sith growled furiously. That was _definitely_ something Bakura would find to be a decent idea. At the very least, it'd be the most amusing one. She swore to herself that if this ended well and they both lived, she would make sure to drop him on his head. Or chop his head clean off, depending on her mood when it came to pass. Flapping her wings to make sure she _could_ fly, she caught a stray rush from the explosion and soared back toward the ships, a spout of steam issuing from her nostrils. She wasn't happy with Bakura.

'_Thief, you had better be alive when I get back_,' she growled, '_Or I'll make sure you take a trip or two through Oblivion_.'

---

Meanwhile, the captains of all four ships were busy reloading their cannons with the same sparkling powder that just sent a hurtling ballistic screaming toward the mass of darkness they were supposed to be heading to. As Bakura watched Cyd bark orders at both humans and Espers, he couldn't help but be completely impressed with the explosion that just shook the entire earth. Not only did it cause a piece of Aeroglyph's outer wall to crumble off, it _sparkled_ in a magnificent hue of purple as it did so, and Bakura guessed that such an effect was how Sparklefire got its name. When the second ballistic, shot from the third ship, exploded in a shower of beautiful, purple sparks, he practically jumped in excitement as he turned to Seth, who was watching with very little enthusiasm.

"Holy hell, priest, did you _see_ that!?" Bakura exclaimed, pointing out the window, "It's wonderful! I have to hand it to old Cyd out there! He does know how to put on a spectacle." He glanced at Seth when the priest didn't share in his amusement, and saw him mumble something incoherently. Bakura narrowed his eyes, wondering just what Seth was saying. He didn't need to wait long, for Seth decided not to hide his answer.

"He also knows how to scare the living daylights out of all of us, too," Seth grumbled, crossing his arms, "Honestly, I don't know how this is going to help Sith. Or the other three dragons, now that I think about it." Seth's lips thinned as he looked out the window distantly. He didn't like that he was so worried about Sith, especially since they seemed to have a constant rivalry over the pharaoh's loyalty even then, but he _was_ worried. If their distraction didn't work, she and the other three dragons would be right in the line of fire. Even _with_ their distraction, the dragons had flown off too quickly for them to know just where they'd gone to. For all he knew, they could've actually managed to _hit_ their greatest weapons. His frown worsened as he said, "Bakura… what are the chances of us accidentally killing them?" Bakura glanced over again, and he began to frown, too. But not out of worry. It was more out of disappointment in Seth. Cyd wouldn't risk hurting his niece and nephew.

"Slim to none," the thief replied, leaning on the windowsill again as Cyd shouted the order to fire, "Dragons are pretty resilient. I think it'll take more than one shot to kill them."

'_No, but it sure scares the shit out of us_,' came a distant reply, and Seth nearly fell over laughing when he realized it was from Sith. Bakura's face burned with embarrassment; even though she had said it loud enough for both he and Seth to hear, he knew her response was aimed solely at _his_ mind. Seth just happened to be part of the conversation. Blinking away the blush, he looked out at the sky. Sith wasn't anywhere in sight, but she was close enough to speak to, albeit mentally.

'_Sorry, Sith_,' he replied sheepishly, his mouth slanting in a half-smile. He felt Seth lean closer, as if wondering what he was saying to the dragon-knight, and Bakura felt relief in the fact that Seth couldn't hear anything he thought unless Sith felt a need to relay it to him. Which she never did.

'_You're lucky I haven't come down there and smacked my hilt over your head_,' she replied seriously, but there was still an edge of mild amusement in her voice, '_Guardian or not, that was a stupid idea to try and fire like that. Just what _were_ you thinking?_' Bakura grimaced a bit, not liking the tone Sith was giving. Technically, this was his idea, but Cyd was the one who came up with using Sparklefire, not him. But when he relayed this to Sith, she merely snorted and said, '_And you actually trust my crazy, volatile uncle to not send this attack straight to hell?_' Judging by Seth's snort, Sith included him in her response. If there was one thing the priest respected in her, even just a little, it was the fact that she was blunt. She wasn't afraid of their reactions to her, which was what got Seth in so much trouble in the first place.

'…_yes_,' Bakura replied meekly. Sith didn't respond for a moment, and he barely heard a thump on the deck as he looked up. He assumed someone had dropped a barrel full of the powder Cyd was using, and didn't even care to glance when the deck door opened, admitting someone inside. He didn't listen as the crowd fell silent, and he certainly didn't notice as a black-haired knight, donned in white linen and armor, crept up behind him. Putting a finger to her lips, she urged Seth to keep quiet, which he did, if only for the fact that it'd scare Bakura.

'_Then I suggest you trust me a little more_,' she replied calmly, and then said, '_By the way, turn around_.' Bakura blinked, wondering how a dragon could see into the ship, and quickly turned around at her command. Only to scream right in her face. Sith stood before him, a slender black brow raised as his scream died down a little bit. Crossing her arms, her frown becoming just a little softer, she said, "It's nice to see you, too." Seth snorted again, and Bakura's cheeks turned red once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. At least, they wouldn't come out in anything anyone could register as speech. Seth just gave him a smug glance.

"Egyptian, Bakura. Speak in Egyptian," he teased, and when Bakura's face reddened further, Seth turned to the knight and said, "Good to have you back, Sith." Sith just raised her brow again, an amused smirk planted on her face.

"Coming from you, that's hard to believe," she stated, and Seth winced at the apparent truth to that, "I trust you haven't screwed us all over again."

"Hey, ever since I went to your world the first time, I've tried my best to do everything I've been ordered to do!" the priest cried, throwing his arms up in exasperation. Sith just gave a soft chuckle, and not wanting her to comment on him anymore, he changed the subject, "So, were you able to find a way to get into your castle?" Sith chuckle stopped dead in her throat, and she grew a somber look. Seth's own usual arrogant look faded, realizing that her self-appointed missing didn't go well in the least. He wished he hadn't asked.

"No. I turned back when we heard the first explosion," she replied, and Bakura looked away with guilt; technically, it _was_ his fault, for he suggested the cannons to Cyd. Sith didn't seem to notice his movement as she continued, "Sceppiro is taking over for me. Not that that's a bad thing. I'd much rather be fighting alongside you than sneaking into my own castle." Seth gave a firm nod, and the two of them smiled, though Seth's was weaker. Another explosion caused them both to turn toward the window, Bakura simply yelping in shock, not having expected the boom, even though he knew one would be coming. Seth just laughed as he heard many people on the deck scream, with Cyd cursing about some sort of clog in his cannon.

"I think you might've gotten here right on time," he commented, as one Esper ran across the deck, carrying what looked like a giant cotton swab. As the Esper shoved it into the cannon, Sith's cheeks streaked with blue as she hung her head in embarrassment.

"Yes, well, I _was_ aiming to get here before any of you died," she mumbled, and when another person yelped in pain, she turned to Seth and said, "All right, I think we'd better go and help these people before my uncle kills them." Seth nodded, his grin returning. There were times he loved his job; as much as he hated being in the action, he did love watching others mess up their orders. And if Sith knew this about him, she was purposely ignoring it, either for his sake or for the sake of comradery.

"I heal the slightly wounded as you ready the cannons?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. Sith was perfect for manual labor, and he knew his best ability was to heal pain… whether he inflicted it in the first place or not. Sith nodded, and together, they walked out onto the deck, shortly followed by Mahaado, Karim, Isis, Bakura, and Mana.

It hadn't taken too long to get everything back in order for the next round of explosives, though on Sith's part, she did have to jump from ship to ship in order to relay Cyd's orders. After three rounds of using Sparklefire, he decided that it was time to stop playing nice, especially since Rath had managed to hit one of the ships in retaliation, and now they were going to use actual gunpowder. Seth was skeptical at first; Egypt didn't have gunpowder. But, as usual, the Espers did. And Cyd wasn't about to let Rath escape for damaging his prized creations. As soon as his cannon was loaded, Cyd shot the first blast of gunfire, and the entire Nesce-Egyptian army was rewarded with plumes of fire slamming into the dark citadel ahead, along with the acrid smell of smoke, much of which caused a better half of the human army to choke as they tried to clear the air around them. The Espers weren't bothered too much from it; they merely saw it as a minor annoyance.

"I'd hate to be whoever's living in there," Karim commented, "I hope we didn't hit any of the captive Espers." Sith swiped her tail, clearing the air around herself and Mana before she spoke again. She gave a warm smile to her former teacher.

"We didn't. Unless my uncle overstuffed his cannon, the blast shouldn't have been strong enough to knock out more than the outer walls," she replied confidently, eyeing her uncle just in time to see him load his cannon up again, "My uncle's not stupid enough to overload his machines, and Rath's too smart to keep anyone within reach of the outer wall." Karim nodded, and went back to help Mahaado heal one poor soul who'd gone too close to the cannon right as it fired. Her wings had been burned, but not torn off completely, and aside from some minor scrapes on her face and left arm, she was otherwise fine. She grinned when Sith looked at her, and then Sith turned to her uncle again. He was shouting into his radio. Bakura glanced at the knight quizzically, wondering just how she was taking what she saw.

"Didn't do too badly, eh?" he asked, knowing she knew this was technically his idea. She looked at him, and then gave a sly smile, one he wasn't sure if he liked or not.

"Considering it was _you_, it's not a complete disaster," she commented, her tone edging between amusement and annoyance, "No one's died yet. That's looking in your favor." Bakura just grinned, and because Atemu had just come out on deck and managed to overhear, he frowned. Bakura caught the pharaoh in the corner of his eyes, and his grin widened, turning smug, as if to say 'ha-ha.' Atemu's eye simply twitched.

"There's still time before we can be sure of that," he growled, storming ahead to speak to Cyd. Sith bit her lip, not sure of how to respond. Atemu's jealousy was more and more apparent the more Bakura was involved in this war. But damn it, they needed the thief's help. And it wasn't her place to call either of them on it and tell them to knock it off. If they were going to play this game, they had to work it out themselves. She merely had to make sure neither of them died, or both of them killed each other in the process.

"Oh, I wouldn't sleep if I were you, _pharaoh_," Bakura apparently had other ideas, even if his tone was slightly teasing, and none too serious. Sith frowned, and the glare she gave must've been severe, for a moment later he said, "I can't protect you forever, you know!" Atemu just snorted, but from where Bakura was, he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. Seth, who'd been keeping close to Sith and Bakura, just looked over at them both. He knew it wasn't Sith's fault, but Bakura was going to end up pushing this too far. He had to do something to help Sith out, even if he didn't want to. After all, his job was to heal people, and if one of them managed to assassinate the other, or, more likely, Sith was about to snap, someone would end up dead. Not something Seth wanted to deal with, no matter who was killed.

"I don't think he needs your protection, Bakura," he said, wishing he had come up with something better. He didn't want to just threaten Bakura; that was definitely Sith's job, but he did want to make it clear no one would tolerate such a stupid battle between thief and king. Especially over a knight who wasn't sure she actually liked either. From what Bahamut said, she merely tolerated them. If Seth hadn't understood Sith's reasoning, he'd have blamed her for not making up her mind earlier.

"Besides, he has _mine_," Sith added, which didn't help the matter at all. Seth nudged her in the ribs.

"Not helping," he mumbled. Sith snorted softly, and turned away as Seth looked at Bakura and said, "I don't know what sort of battle you and the pharaoh are waging, but kindly keep it off of this ship, or I'll see to it that _neither_ of you wins. Understood?" Bakura just raised a brow, surprised that Seth would even try to dissipate a matter that really didn't concern him. He looked at Sith, who said nothing, and then he just nodded.

"Understood," he replied, "I'm going to help Cyd out." Then, he was gone. Sith glanced at Seth as he continued to watch the thief's retreating back, and then let out a small sigh, smiling weakly. Seth looked back at her, wondering if she was all right. Even if he didn't like her that much, he knew when she was reaching her limit.

"Thank you for that," she replied, and laughed, "I'll never be good at deal with them both."

"I think you'd better tell them neither stand much chance, or this could get a lot worse," he told her seriously, and when her smile vanished, he said, "Look, I might not like you, but I hate things like this even more. Besides, it won't hurt to knock them down every once in a while, anyway." He chuckled at that statement, but Sith just stared at him, wide-eyed. Not because she herself wasn't considering the advice, but because for once, he was offering her help, and he was insulting the pharaoh in the process. A big no-no for his position, too.

"Seth! You can't say things like that!" she hissed, low enough so Atemu didn't hear them, "Are you looking to get fired?" Seth snorted. He would've loved to say '_why, yes, I want that_,' but he didn't want to be smacked over the head for it. He just grinned, leaning back against the wall.

"Hey, I respect the pharaoh to the highest degree that I can, but you have to admit he's a spoiled brat," the priest commented, "He won't take losing well. And Bakura? He'll start a revolt if _he_ fails. It's best if you let them both down." Sith's lips thinned. But she did agree with Seth. She gave a weak nod, watching as Bakura and Cyd loaded another round into the cannon, setting it off immediately after. The ballistic, this time a huge, heavy, iron ball, whistled right through the air. The force blew a heavy gust of wind that ruffled Seth's robes, and he watched the ball soar across the sky, eyes wide with awe. He had never seen such a weapon before.

"Is there _anything_ your race hasn't implemented yet?" he asked, as the ball smashed right into the citadel, the ensuing boom and explosion of smoke and plaster so powerful, that it shook the ship even from their distance. They faintly heard Cyd laughing hysterically as a piece of the citadel's courtyard broke off and then fell to the ground below.

"Doubt it," Sith replied smugly, though Seth knew she meant no offense. She looked over the railing, and as the broken piece of land slid away from the citadel, landing on the sand with a huge crack, she snorted and said, "I'd hate to be the people living down _there_." Seth looked, his skin paling. Forget about _hurting_ anyone. He prayed no one lived there at all.

"_How_ many of those are we firing?" he asked her, his voice just a bit shaky. He hadn't expected such a massive result, and was really, really glad that Nesce and Egypt were still allies. Sith tapped her chin, considering the answer carefully. She really couldn't be sure. If Cyd wanted to kill Rath before she struck, he'd keep lobbing them until the entire castle was destroyed. But if this really was to buy them some time, then one round really should be enough to send a warning.

"Not sure, but any more of them and we won't have a kingdom left to save," she replied, her voice growing just a little grim, "And that's going to defeat the entire purpose of this war at all…" Seth patted her back, understanding her frustration. He knew what it was like working with overzealous arsonists. He worked with Bakura before. And even though Bakura wasn't technically an arsonist, he had a feeling that somewhere, somehow, Bakura managed to set _something_ on fire, whether purely accidental or not. The point was, Bakura and Cyd were in the same boat. And when he turned around and saw them loading the cannon up for another shot, he couldn't help but laugh. Sith slumped over, unable to fathom that they'd shoot _again_ when the first iron ball had taken such a chunk from her home.

"Want _me_ to talk to them?" he asked her, as she laid a hand on the pommel of her sword. Her lips thinned, though her stare was flat as she watched them.

"Depends. Can you kill them if they give you a half-assed response?" she retorted, and Seth laughed again. He shook his head, patting a scroll he tied onto his belt.

"I doubt I'd _kill_ them, but I could probably make them _really confused_," he replied darkly, "Before I left to do the recon in Aeroglyph, your brother gave me a few scrolls inscribed with his magic. I didn't use them." Sith gave him an incredulous stare, feeling that if he did, they could've avoided this altogether. When he finally realized that, he blushed and said, "…oops." Sith just snorted, shaking her head.

"Wouldn't be the first time you didn't do something you were supposed to," she mumbled, and walked off to speak with Cyd herself. Seth hummed, trying to figure out what that actually meant, and when he finally comprehended it, his mouth dropped open. She was, once again, bringing up that he had started all of this _again_! Just because he _didn't want to do his job!_ Nose scrunching, he raised his fist and shook it.

"_THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT!_" he called, but all he got was a laugh from the knight. He growled, stuffing his hands in his pocket. He wasn't actually mad; after all, that was the truth. But damn it, it was the truth! He stalked over, wondering how he could get his revenge, when suddenly, he stopped and frowned. Revenge wasn't the right way to go, at least not here. Besides, she was joking. She didn't mean it as the insult he took it as. And, as a priest, it really wasn't a good idea for him to get into the habit of going into revenge. And, that was what Mahaado and Karim were trying to teach him, back then. He let out a sigh. This was going to take some time to get used to, and even more time to accept it. But he could own up to it, maybe. He walked over to where Sith was.

"Yeah, we probably got a hole big enough to get through," Cyd said, tapping his foot and then looking over at he said, "What're you idiots doing!? I said 'no more cannon fire,' ya big numbskulls! Put that down!" Seth and Sith looked to see a werewolf and a younger Esper drop the iron ball, both of them scared to death from Cyd's outburst. In their minds, they were just doing their jobs. Seth nudged Sith in the ribs as Bakura and Atemu helped the two roll the iron ball away.

"What's going on?" he asked her, as Cyd wiped his forward and ordered the cannons to be cleaned. Sith glanced back, and her smile told him that whatever she _had_ said to Cyd, it'd be good news. They could use some good news.

"We've opened a break into the citadel," she whispered back, excited, "We can enter through there, shut off the mechanisms Rath activated, ground the castle, and attack her on all fronts!" Seth didn't see the enthusiasm of deepening this war, but Sith's happiness was infectious. He smiled as well, watching as Bakura and Atemu nodded, going back to speak to Cyd about their next move.

"How will we get inside?" he asked her, "Are the engines free yet?" Unfortunately, Sith shook her head. But her excitement hadn't diminished, and soon, Cyd was getting everyone on his ship rallied onto the deck, Bakura using his radio to instruct the other captains of the other ships to do the same. Her wings ruffled.

"No, but we have an alternative," she replied, "Cyd relayed the plan to Sceppiro through their minds, and Sceppiro is relaying it to both Bahamut and Tiamat. They're going to come back with the hostages they could rescue, and then ferry the warriors on their backs. We should have more than enough to overwhelm the Espers that still oppose us." Seth silently wondered how many Espers were actually on Rath's side. He didn't doubt they could do some serious damage, but he didn't think Rath was incompetent enough to let herself be overwhelmed. Especially since she had perfectly anticipated their moves so far. But something had blown her plan apart, literally speaking. She _hadn't_ predicted Cyd would fire back at her. And maybe that was the key. Maybe that was why Sith had let the plan continue until now.

"And what of the hostages?" he asked, "What then?"

"It would depend. If they don't wish to help us, we keep them as prisoners. If they do, we employ them to help, either in fighting or healing," she explained, and in a much darker tone, she said, "And if they attack… we have no choice but to kill them. Those insane enough to strike out have been driven mad, and nothing will help them then." Seth frowned. He didn't like the sound of that at all.

"What could do that?" he asked, but for once, she merely gave a stern glance as her answer. She didn't _want_ to tell him what she knew, and he knew better than to press. Bahamut had spoken about something that turned Rath mad, when he had first met Seth and Bakura. That had to have been the same thing, but what was it? He wanted answers, but he knew he'd get them soon enough. He let her silence slide, and when a roar pierced the sky, followed by a blast of cold air, they both knew at least one dragon returned. Bakura was nearly blown clean off the ship, and it took both Atemu and the werewolf grabbing the thief's arms to avoid having him fly off.

'_We're here!_' Sceppiro announced proudly, as everyone rushed away, him circling the ship and then landing with a crash on the deck. Sith was probably the only one who wasn't completely terrified with her brother's entrance, and Seth had to wonder if he'd done that before. Sith's expression said he had.

"Thanks for the heads up," she replied flatly, and Sceppiro's teeth curled back in a wide grin. The passengers on his back stumbled out of their harnesses as Mahaado, Isis, Saimun, and an Esper cleric ran to their aid, and then another dragon rose up, his huge wings buffeting the ship with cold wind once more. This time, everyone expected a second dragon.

'_We need to move quickly,_' Bahamut's voice grumbled, gripping the edge of the ship with his two front claws as he lowered his head so his hostages could climb over his back and slide down his muzzle, '_Rath will notice what we plan soon_.' Sith nodded, helping Bahamut's passengers as Tiamat appeared on the other side, doing the same thing as her cohort. Silence slowly fell as they all helped and healed those who were stumbling and injured, and it continued as they decided on who would be going in the first round. Sith inevitably was picked first, with Bakura second. Atemu stood as third, but they needed one more leader. Seth looked around, wondering who would actually volunteer themselves. His answer was simple: no one. No one wanted that responsibility, and he knew that Sceppiro couldn't simply because he had to ferry them. He sighed. This was the way to help redeem himself again.

"I take the fourth team," he said, much to everyone's surprise. No one had expected him to even think about making that kind of choice. He looked at the other three leaders. Sith smiled warmly; for once, he felt a comradery between her he wished he'd felt before. Atemu was proud; for once, Seth understood he was making the best choice he could. Bakura nodded with approval; for once, Seth felt that their own personal battle against the thief had ended. He took a stand next to Sith, and they began to pick their team members. They couldn't take everyone, but each of them were allowed ten others to choose from. Atemu had taken Shaddah, Karim, Mana, Akunaden, and six of his guards. Bakura took a mix of two Espers, one werewolf, an Incubus, a vampire, and five of the thieves he had brought along. Seth chose Mahaado, three guards, two of the brave villagers from the palace, and four Espers. Sith had chosen ten Espers entirely, and Seth understood why; she wasn't able to ferry any of them, and that meant her team _had_ to be able to fly on their own. Smart idea on her part. Besides, it gave more of the Espers a chance to get revenge for being forced into slavery. Those not going were to stay and help reload for a back-up assault, to feed everyone else, or to try and provide healing in the absence of the priests.

'_Are we ready?_' Sceppiro asked with impatience as everyone's teams assembled onto the dragons, Sith's team getting their wings ready for flight. It took another few moments to get the humans strapped onto the dragons, but shortly after, Atemu gave Sceppiro's neck a firm pat.

"Let's get going," he replied, when he received nods from Bakura, Seth, and Sith. Sceppiro let loose a loud roar, and jumped high into the air, slamming the deck with a burst of wind as he flapped his wings. Bahamut and Tiamat let go of the sides of the ship, and Sith jumped off with her team, all eleven Espers spreading their wings to fly away behind the dragons as they sailed off. The flight was fast; the air was cold enough to bring tears to Seth's eyes as they rushed through the sky. He didn't remember Bahamut ever flying this fast before, but the timing of the attack was urgent. If Rath put up any defense, their advantage would be lost and they'd have to blow another hole in her walls. Assuming that they even could. He glanced back, vision blurry from his tears as he wondered how Bakura and Atemu were faring. He didn't need to wonder to know Sith was probably crying from the wind. Not sobbing, mind, but tears _would_ be shed, just because of how cold it was getting. He found he thought her very brave to be flying in her most human form.

The citadel loomed before them within half an hour, like a giant, crumbling, black crystal in the bright afternoon sky. At the edges of their visions, the Espers warned their human companions about the black aura surrounding the perimeter, but there had been no retaliation, and Sith didn't think there _would_ be one. They were too close for Rath to attack. Any attack made that wasn't close combat would hit her, as well, and she wanted to avoid that, even if it meant a disadvantage. Rath wasn't stupid enough to hit herself unless she _knew_ it'd kill them all. And, she knew it wouldn't. That was at least one thing working with them, as Seth watched the citadel below, Tiamat spiraling overhead. Sceppiro had landed first, and Atemu was already dismounting by the time Tiamat or Bahamut had gotten onto the courtyard. At one time or another, it had been a beautiful green garden, but now it was simply a charred, barren field. Which was fine for now. It provided enough of an area for three dragons to land. Unfortunately for Sith, it took her team nearly fifteen minutes later to unite with the others, by which Seth and Bakura had begun to worry about her safety; they assumed _something_ had held her up.

"Everything okay, knight Sith?" Atemu asked, when Sith landed, her team scattering in between the dragons as Sceppiro reverted to his human form. Sith nodded, landing hard on the ground. Her knees buckled, and Atemu was concerned she'd hurt herself, but a moment later, she stood.

"Everything's fine, sir," she replied, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, "Sorry. We were held up by a draft of wind."

"Better that than an enemy ambush, eh?" Seth commented, and frowned, "Okay, we're all here. What's the game plan? Do we split up?" Sith tapped her chin carefully, thinking about it. There were at least three Espers she knew of that _had_ to be dealt with. Splitting up _might_ not be bad, but it could be a mistake if all three Espers attacked one group at the same time. Likewise, it was still bad for a full party of over forty people to wander through a castle at once, with two dragons waiting their return right outside. Either one gave them danger; it was simply a matter of how much danger they were willing to risk. She called Atemu and Bakura over, debating it. Finally, they decided that indeed, they would split up. But, Sceppiro would be taking over Seth's team because he knew the citadel as well as Sith, and Seth would be joining Atemu's team in replacement. When told, Seth agreed readily.

"But will Sith and Sceppiro have enough healers?" he asked. That was his only objection. Aside from Mahaado, Sceppiro had no healers, and Sith had no clerics, either. Bakura hadn't chosen any, but the Incubus was versed with healing, so that wasn't too bad. But everyone except for Atemu lacked healing. That didn't prove much of a problem for Sith.

"We'll be fine," she replied, speaking for her team, "Everyone on my team has a basic healing spell, and I have most spells in my arsenal as it is. If anything, our problem will be too much power and too little fighting space."

"Mahaado and I are adept healers," Sceppiro added, "I can revive people as well, too. Provided that their injuries haven't pierced anything vital. We should be all right." That took care of that problem. Bakura hadn't spoken, but he hadn't needed to. The smug look on his face told them all that he wasn't overly concerned with healing. Most of his team was made up of rogues and magic-users, both of which could simply avoid damage by hiding from it. Seth's lips thinned, and he nodded grimly. He was nervous about just heading in, but everyone else seemed confident. And ready. He took a deep breath.

"Let's go then," he said, "Onto the next stage of this magical adventure." With that, he, Sith, Atemu, Bakura, and Sceppiro led their teams into the wide hole that Cyd had created with his cannons. With that, he was entering Aeroglyph for the third, and hopefully, final time.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, after successfully distracting, and destroying part of Rath's plans, Seth and the expansive army reunite with Sith and the dragons for a short time before four teams are chosen and sent to deployment on the first close-combat round of the war. With knowledge of the castle's interior, combined with knowledge on Rath's abilities, can our four teams successfully find and stop her? Or will she strike down Cyd and everyone else aboard his ships? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	24. Tis the Season to be Sneaky

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he wants to know why Mystics keep messing with his world.

The hole had led to the middle of a long, dark corridor around the outermost perimeter of the castle. The chill breeze from the outside blew in, blowing the torches that would have led the way out. Seth grumbled in displeasure as he stepped inside; absolute darkness and keeping a sense of direction and secrecy tended to work against each other, especially with him. But no one else complained, so after the initial grumbling was done, he kept his mouth shut. He didn't need another reason for anyone else to make fun of him. Or mock him. So, he simply followed everyone else as they piled inside. Sith and Sceppiro strode to the front, both of them looking down both ways of the hall. Seth couldn't see what they were looking for, but obviously it was something important. Finally, Sith turned to the small army.

"It's clear on both sides, but we're heading right. The audience chamber is on an upper floor," she whispered, her voice unnaturally sharp and loud in the silence, "We'll split up when we reach the right floor and surround the room on both sides. Move out!" With that, she and Sceppiro walked ahead, everyone else following behind. The shuffling of forty pairs of feet sent them all on edge, but no one dared to draw a weapon. That would've been a very fatal mistake, especially in the poor light. Thankfully, the thick carpet adorning the right hall muffled their steps; after a while, it became almost impossible to hear, save for the steps of either Sith or Sceppiro's boots.

"Think we can do this the quick and easy way?" Bakura whispered to Seth, as they went along. Seth had tried to ignore the thief, but he found himself answering anyway. Only because he knew Bakura would keep pestering him if he didn't. He shook his head.

"Nothing's ever that easy," he replied grimly, "And we're dealing with _Espers_. If anything, she's making it this easy on purpose." But what Seth didn't say was why. Mainly because he didn't know that answer. He couldn't see Rath as someone purposely letting their enemies in unless there was a trap to pull. But no alarms had gone off yet. No nets had sprung up. And no other Espers had come to stop them. This really _was_ too easy. This _had_ to be a trap.

"I don't know. We were able to get in without much opposition," the Incubus argued, hanging back to listen in on them, "You'd think she _wanted_ us to come, but why would she want that?" Seth just gave the demon a very flat stare. That was his point to begin with. He turned back to Bakura, completely ignoring the demon's interference. The thief looked particularly thoughtful on that subject. Perhaps Seth had said something of importance.

"So this is a trap," he finally concluded. There was no questioning tone; like Seth, he was _sure_ something was up. The only problem was… "Does Sith know this?" Seth's lips thinned. She had made it clear they were to keep their guard up, so he did want to think she had some inclination to this. But she hadn't spoken about anything dangerous since they'd gone in. She hadn't stopped to search around. She hadn't even told them to be cautious. That was the only thing that slightly marred their conclusion. Normally, Sith was the first one to catch a trap.

"Let's hope she does," Seth said grimly, frown deepening, "I don't like her, but I do know she wouldn't intentionally lead us into trouble. That's the one good thing about her: responsibility." Bakura agreed, but dropped the subject at that. Sceppiro had already glanced back, aware of their little discussion, but he hadn't alerted anyone else to it. He shrugged and continued leading the way. Bakura took a deep breath as they slowly shuffled through the long hall. Closed doors had been passed, and Seth got the feeling Bakura was beginning to get the urge to break and enter. He didn't want to have to remind the thief that _Sith_ lived here, at one point in her life. That'd stop the idiot right in his tracks. Silently, Seth chuckled. Unfortunately, it wasn't silent enough. Bakura caught it.

"What's so damn funny, priest?" the thief asked suspiciously. Seth shook his head, but his smug smile hadn't gone away.

"Nothing, but I can only see you picking the lock here," he stated in amusement, "Sorry. Bad habit." His apology wasn't enough, either. Bakura instantly became insulted. His white brows furrowed angrily, his nose wrinkling in disgust. He was trying to hold his anger back, so as to not cause a fight in the hall, but he couldn't help but want to strangle the priest for the horrible accusation. He huffed.

"For _your_ information, not all thieves go around plundering just for the hell of it," he hissed indignantly, "We're not so immoral that we'd steal from _Lady Sith herself_." Seth just snorted again, though. Obviously, Bakura wasn't persuasive enough.

"Then what are they doing?" Seth asked, and pointed to a door just down the hall, where all five of Bakura's thieves were gathered, trying to break the lock. Bakura's eyes widened in horror, and he stormed over, smacking them all over the head. Many cowered; one actually fell down in shock. Seth laughed as he passed them.

"_What the hell are you morons doing!?_" Bakura demanded harshly, taking their tools away, "We're supposed to be _winning a war_, not _filling our pockets with things we won't use!_" Seth couldn't help but give another laugh. Bakura was notorious for stealing whatever he wanted. The guy emptied an entire _tomb_ just for fun, and here he was yelling at other thieves for the same thing. Just because the castle happened to rightfully belong to Sith. The thieves didn't even agree with him, either. All of them managed to protest.

"But boss, we need the money!"

"Come on, there could be good shit in there! These are _Espers!_"

"You don't think they'd notice a missing drawer-full of silverware, would they?"

"Uh, didn't you do the same damn thing before?" Unfortunately, if any of them thought those protestations could help them or justify their actions, they were sourly disappointed. Bakura's brows pinched together in frustration. He wasn't in the mood for his team's antics. He smacked them all over the head again, causing another round of yelps.

"What I did doesn't matter, you bunch of whiners!" he exclaimed, "We're not stealing from Lady Sith and that's final! And if any of you lousy assholes try otherwise, I'll personally give you a scar that'll match _mine_." That definitely shut his team of thieves up. Without even looking to see if they'd listen, Bakura stormed away, up to where Seth was walking, visibly laughing at the entire scene. He had expected to see some form of punishment for their attempt at crime, but to see Bakura treat them like children was priceless! It was very little wonder now why he called _himself_ the best thief in Egypt. If every thief were as incompetent as those five men, he probably was.

"What a way to keep order," he managed in a sarcastic tone, "Do you want to go get a wooden spoon for next time to spank them with, or should we just send them to their rooms?" Bakura glared at him. He didn't take the joke well.

"Shut up. At least I make people listen to me," he growled, and glanced back over his shoulder. Seth snorted as the thief yelled, "_I SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND I SAW THAT HAND GESTURE, GARZA! DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE!_" Immediately, whatever was going on subsided. Bakura shook his head, keeping in pace with Seth, who was thoroughly amused now. He looked ahead to where Sith walked. She hadn't even noticed the disruption.

"Want me to get Atemu or Sith to deal with them?" Seth asked. Bakura just shook his head again and sighed. If _he_ couldn't keep his own men under control, he'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else that could. And while at least Sith might've instilled some level of fear, eventually someone would try murdering her. Everyone would've definitely killed Atemu if he said squat about them. Neither alternative was worth the death.

"No… if Sith sees them and finds it a problem, I won't care if she kills them," the thief mumbled in response, "Takes a load off _my_ back, anyway." Seth just patted his back sympathetically.

"Now you understand why _I'm_ so cranky," he stated, almost proudly. Bakura just snorted, and Seth assumed it was because his remark was humorous. But, then he saw someone walking to his left. And, unfortunately, that someone wasn't happy with what he said.

"I'd have thought you'd be cranky because of how many times you were nearly fired, not because of _us_," Seth could've screamed. That voice belonged to Karim, and aside from Mahaado, that was probably the last person Seth wanted to see.

"W-where the hell did you come from!?" Seth demanded, nearly jumping in shock when he saw how close Karim actually was. If he'd been terribly insulted, it wouldn't have taken much to knock Seth out of his sandals and send the priest flying. Karim just gave a smug smile of his own, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was just talking to the people who annoy you the most," he replied mockingly, "You know, Mahaado and Shaddah, and the pharaoh. You remember them, right?" Seth's face wrinkled. If Karim weren't so damn _big_, he'd give the man a good kick. But he was sure that if he tried, Karim would send him right into the carpet. So, he didn't.

"I'm not stupid, Karim," he mumbled in discontent, "Now, what do you want?"

"I just hung back to see what the commotion was about," the older priest replied easily, "A lot of people were wondering what was going on." Seth couldn't help but grin. That was entirely Bakura's problem. And, because Bakura was right there, Seth decided to _leave_ him with that problem. He pointed to the thief.

"It was his team," he said simply, snorting as Bakura glared at him, stuffing his hands into his pocket.

"My team is made of thieves. I can't control each and every one of them!" he cried, trying his best not to sound overly pathetic, "I smacked them around for trying to break into one of the rooms." Karim raised a curious, amused brow and just nodded slowly. He didn't understand why a thief would be stupid enough to steal _while the queen was right there_, but he didn't really need to know why. Some things, he felt were better left unknown. A laugh behind them told them that someone else had joined them for the conversation, as well, which annoyed Seth greatly. He didn't feel people should be butting in where they aren't concerned.

"Hey, it wouldn't have mattered if they succeeded," it was Sceppiro, whom Seth swore was in front a while ago, "Everything in this castle is Rath's. If they want to disarm her, I say we let them rob the hell out of this place." Bakura's eyes narrowed, unhappy with that logic, but his fellow thieves seemed ecstatic for the idea. They cheered and whooped in joy, running to the closest door as one took out a knife to pry the lock out of. Sceppiro just grinned, going back to the front of the army where Sith stood, wondering what the cheering was for. Seth bit his lip, and then snuck ahead just enough to hear what she was saying to her brother.

"What was going on back there?" she asked, her voice going flat, "Was it Bakura _again_?" Seth snorted again. As a thief, Bakura would probably be blamed for everything that went wrong while they were there. Even more so because he was the thief _king_.

"No. Some thieves wanted to help rid the castle of Rath's influence. They're going to steal some stuff from her," Sceppiro replied. Which was a bad idea. Sith's eyes widened in horror, and she nearly dropped her sword. Seth had never seen her without her weapon, and guessed that she only really let go of it in times of panic. She sheathed it and smacked Sceppiro over the head, the older Esper nearly falling over.

"Are you _insane_!?" she demanded, "Sceppiro, they can't steal _from us!_ That's still _our_ possessions!" Sceppiro hadn't seen his sister in such a frenzy before. It was almost amusing, except that he knew she might cut his head off with her sword. He held up his hands in mock surrender, grinning all the while despite the grave he was digging himself into.

"Relax, little sister. Those locks are fortified with _my_ magic. They can't break in," he replied easily. But a loud click in the hall seemed to discount that, for he lowered his ears and said, "…they just broke in." If Sith was ever about to lose it on someone for incompetence, now was the time. Her face grew a shade redder, and she crossed her arms stiffly across her chest, tapping one boot on the floor.

"Fix it," she demanded. Sceppiro's own skin paled with that single, stern demand.

"What!?" he cried, unable to believe she was actually expecting them to stop their storming to fix one lock, "Sith, we're in the middle of a situation here!"

"Fix _it_," she said, even more forcefully than before. Seth actually felt bad for Sceppiro. Anyone who actually disobeyed the knight's orders rarely lived to tell of it. And for whatever reason, the pharaoh either ignored it entirely or never found out that she actually killed insubordinate soldiers. Sceppiro sighed heavily and nodded, stalking over to where the thieves were trying to open the door. Despite them having broken the lock, the door was obviously much heavier than they anticipated. Locking it, luckily enough, wasn't hard. Sceppiro pushed them all aside, closed the door, and recast the spell. The moans and grumbles of displeasure almost made Bakura laugh. He had stolen many things and broken many locks, but he had _never_ seen the victim actually _lock it all back up_. In _front_ of his would-be robbers, no less! Without even looking at the five thieves, Sceppiro stalked back to Sith. Bakura stopped him along the way.

"Don't worry about those morons. They wouldn't have figured out what was most valuable anyway," he assured. Sceppiro just nodded, wondering why Bakura even brought them if he was implying how stupid they were. He continued on to where his sister stood waiting, and Seth decided to stop watching them at that point. He turned to Bakura, who just shook his head as they began walking again. Obviously, not even Bakura was particularly amused by the thieves' antics.

"Why'd you hire them if you don't like them?" Seth asked curiously, feeling that was a valid question for the situation. Bakura just sighed heavily.

"They're dumb as horse shit, but they _are_ loyal," Bakura replied, sounding just a bit too exhausted for Seth's comfort, "Besides, it's not bad having a couple of thieves on your side. We have a lot of inside information, stuff you'd never see." That part was too true. Normally, Seth frowned upon criminals and vagabonds, but there was something to be said about sneaking around, completely undetected. Besides, when it came down to it, Seth had to admit that thieves weren't entirely bad people. Only those who killed were evil. Unfortunately, Bakura had killed before. Nothing could wipe that stain away, no matter how loyal he'd become to the kingdom.

"Inside information, eh?" Seth repeated, just a bit disgusted at the fact that he found himself interested, "Care to share any of this? Anything you'd think would be useful?"

"Not much that I haven't already explained," Bakura replied sadly, frowning slightly, "I'd need some time and free reign to understand the dynamics of the castle. And I wasn't around Rath enough to understand her weaknesses. She made sure of that." Seth couldn't help but feel disappointed. Thieves were only so useful, and right then, Bakura wasn't proving much more than the fact that he was really strong. And, with more than fifteen Espers on their side, strength wasn't anything they were worried about. He didn't like thinking Bakura was useless, but unless he provided them with something more than strength, he kind of was.

"Well, do you sense anything wrong here?" Seth asked, and Bakura tilted his head thoughtfully, "Think about it. You're a thief. Isn't it weird that this is so easy?" Bakura considered that carefully. And he found Seth was right. It was too easy for them. He stopped, doing it so suddenly that Karim and Seth almost ran into him. They stopped as well, both looking at him with worry. Clearly, he was seeing a problem somewhere.

"Normally, opposition isn't welcomed, but this is eerie," Bakura whispered, and both Seth and Karim leant closer to listen, "There hasn't been a guard in sight. No Espers whatsoever." Bakura's lips thinned as he tried to figure out what that could've meant. No guards… no movement… Rath was clearly expecting them… She hadn't retaliated when Cyd shot his cannons. She was giving them a sense of security. But why?

Bakura looked up ahead to where Sith and Sceppiro were. They had gone farther ahead to look for danger before leading the troupe onward. He narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong with that. Sith was saying something, but her expression was one of bewilderment and worry. Something was worrying her, and Bakura forced his sense of hearing to reach farther out. He succeeded, and heard her say that the stairway should've been there, that there was no intersection there. They were far ahead…. and now it hit him. They were _in the intersection_. Sith looked down at something on the floor, and Bakura followed her gaze. It landed on a golden strip across the floor, a thick one. Bakura knew what it was. He had seen it when the castle was morphing in and out of shape. He now knew why Rath made this so damned easy. He pushed Seth aside, rushing through the crowd gathered.

"Sith! Sith, stop!" he called, as everyone either stared or moved aside before he pushed them away, "_SITH, GET BACK HERE! BOTH OF YOU, STOP! IT'S A TRAP!_" Sith finally heard his frantic shouting, and turned to him, but she was too slow. By the time she took one step, it happened. The golden strip slid into the right side of the hall, and a wall slid into view where the strip used to be. Sith and Sceppiro had been separated from them. Bakura screamed furiously, slamming into the wall, unable to slow down. He pounded on it, screaming for Sith and Sceppiro to respond, but the wall was impossibly thick. Atemu ran up beside him, putting on hand on his shoulder to try and calm the outraged thief down.

"Bakura, stop it or you're going to harm yourself," Atemu said gently, "Sith's okay. They'll be okay." But, Bakura wasn't convinced in the least. There were just two of them, and at least four dark Espers waiting to destroy them both. The odds alone said they were in serious danger.

"They are _NOT_ okay! They're in trouble!" Bakura growled back, "All because I didn't sense that stupid trap in time!" Atemu sighed. Sometimes, he wished Bakura was a better friend. He'd know how to calm the poor man down if they were friends. But they weren't friends. They never would be. All he could do was assure him that they'd be all right. And that had no true chance of working, either.

"Bakura, it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for this," he told the thief, and Bakura's head hung limp, "Listen to me. I've known Sith for most of my life. She'll be perfectly fine. She's the strongest knight I have. Nothing's going to kill her." That still wasn't enough for Bakura. Tears were starting to form, and one made the mistake of falling. Bakura was actually crying. Terror threatened to flood Atemu. He had never known Bakura to cry. Bakura looked up just slightly, at him.

"That's not good enough," he whispered, "Pharaoh, you weren't there when Bahamut and Tiamat said _I_ was to be her guardian. They said it was my job to help her. Do you have any idea how I feel? She's behind this wall, and there's no way to get to her. I can't fail those dragons. I… Pharaoh, what the hell can we do?" Atemu took a deep breath. It truly was a rare day when a thief, when your sworn enemy, begs you for help. But Bakura wasn't entirely his sworn enemy. Bakura was the reason he even knew Sith was alive. Bakura was the reason Sith did live. Bakura needed his help now. He looked at the wall that separated them from the Espers in question. It was thick, but something had to break it. They had Espers, werewolves, and demons on their side. Surely, something could destroy it.

"That wall needs to go," he stated. Bakura looked up at him like he had just said the craziest thing the thief had ever heard. But Atemu didn't notice the look he was being given. He was still staring at the wall, wondering just what they might use to tear it down. He didn't want to have to resort to breaking into every room they had passed, but surely there was some tool or switch they could use to bring the wall down. He said, "Bakura, you were here once. Tell me, did you see any tools we could use now?" Bakura still felt Atemu had jumped off the deep end, but he answered as best he could regardless. After all, the man _was_ the pharaoh. Maybe he hadn't gone completely insane.

"No, but I was trapped in the observatory," Bakura replied slowly, "Rath wasn't dumb enough to leave anything of use with me." Atemu sighed. So much for that plan. He walked up to the wall and put both hands on it. It felt cool under his touch. From so close, he could hear Sith and Sceppiro arguing about how to find them all again. That relieved him. They hadn't gone any farther.

"Sith! Sith, can you hear me?" he called, and the arguing stopped. He heard faint footsteps on the other side of the wall. Sith had to have been coming over.

"…Atemu?" came the faint reply, "Sir, what on earth happened? Are you all right?" Atemu just smiled at the voice. He nodded, even though he knew Sith couldn't see him, and her voice seemed to perk Bakura up as well. He joined the pharaoh at the wall, putting his ear to the cold surface.

"We're fine, Sith. We're going to try breaking this wall down," he told her, "Can you and your brother wait for a while?" He waited for a reply, but none came. At first, he wondered if Sith had even heard him, but then he wondered if she was even still there. She didn't just _ignore_ him for no reason. Something had to be wrong. He glanced at Bakura, but the thief seemed just as confused as he was. Obviously, Bakura didn't think she'd ignore them, either.

"Lady Sith, are you there?" Bakura called, pressing his ear closer. This time, he did get a response.

"Yes. I was trying not to laugh at you," she replied, "Atemu, my friend, how are you going to destroy this wall? Do you even know what it's made of?" Bakura just gave a soft snort. He risked a glance at Atemu and found the poor man absolutely flustered. Sith never laughed often, but when she did, someone somewhere had done something cataclysmically stupid to deserve it. She probably felt his idea was lacking in logic.

"That's where I was hoping _you'd_ come in," the pharaoh replied shyly, tapping the wall, "We need tools. Do you have any?" Another long silence came before Sith replied again. Atemu didn't want to know why that was. He had a feeling she was relaying this to Sceppiro. And, if she wasn't laughing, he probably would be.

"Atemu, the only one who has even remotely the tools we'd need is my uncle," she finally said, and Atemu could hear the laughter she was trying to hide, "We're currently on the second floor of the castle, which is where the bedrooms are located. There are no tools here." He wished she'd just stop laughing at him. It made it hard for him to concentrate on what needed to be done. And right now, that was locating something to break down the damn wall. He turned to the army behind him. The Espers, the werewolves, the vampire, and the Incubus should be more than enough for the wall, but something told him magic just wasn't that simple. They were in an enclosed space, with a lot of people moving around. That right there was a problem.

"Sith, would it be safe to use magic to bring the wall down?" Atemu asked, and immediately, she replied. This time, there was no laughter to her voice.

"Absolutely not. You could kill someone in such a small space," she replied seriously, "The way that wall works is activated by a switch. If we find that switch, the wall should open up." Atemu didn't like that idea at all. That'd mean either Sith or Sceppiro would go on and find it, and there was a high chance Rath was where the switch happened to be. She already showed that Sith or Sceppiro alone weren't enough to stop her.

"I think we'd rather risk a little manpower than risk one of the two of you dying," the pharaoh mumbled, "There has to be some way. Sith, can't you think of something?" He heard her grumble incoherently behind the wall. She didn't appear to want to have to think so much, especially seeing as how most of them were able-bodied to begin with. But she was the only one aside from Sceppiro who knew the castle and its secrets. And Sceppiro hadn't even joined the conversation in any way.

"If you have to break the wall, then just break the wall," she finally sighed, "Atemu, none of my ideas will go well. They all involve my brother or I leaving and going our own way. Just do whatever you have to." She sounded exhausted at that point. Atemu let out a deep sigh, and nodded, turning to Bakura. The thief understood the signal. That was their cue. He turned to the others assembled behind them, and beckoned them all to pay close attention. Every pair of eyes were on him now.

"All right, people. We have a wall to break down on the double!" he called, and pointed, "Lady Sith and her brother are waiting for us, so let's go and destroy this piece of shit before Rath decides to blow everything to smithereens." There was a short murmur as everyone whispered to each other, and then the werewolves made their way through the crowd, followed by the Espers, and then Bakura's thieves. They stopped just behind Bakura, all of them looking at the wall. One of the werewolves, a dark grey one, turned to Bakura, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"No wall will keep us from Lady Sith," he growled, and turned back to the wall. Then, he rammed into it with his shoulder. Everyone winced as they heard a mighty crack, fearing for the wolf's shoulder. But as the werewolf moved back slightly, it was clear that the wall was what had been broken. Cracks emerged from where the werewolf slammed into it. Seth's eyes widened as he leaned toward Karim, who seemed just as flabbergasted by the result. Either that was a flimsy wall, or that wolf was unnaturally powerful. Either one was a good guess.

"Did you _see_ that!?" Seth hissed, as another werewolf took one of the smaller stones that crumbled from the wall and pounded it into one of the cracks, "He nearly did it single-handedly!"

"I admit that these creatures are amazing," Karim commented silently, as the wolf pounded the crack again. But, whatever the first wolf had done had left little room for improvement. The stone was quickly wearing away before the second wolf discarded it, shaking his head. A third werewolf, more lion than wolf in all honesty, stepped up and proceeded to smash the wall with one powerful kick. The resulting blow resonated throughout the walls, the boom echoing down the hall and beyond there, furniture and doors shaking in its wake. But the wall didn't give way. Bakura seemed to be getting more and more irritated as the attempts the werewolves made failed.

"There has to be a better way to do this!" he declared, "That is it. No more playing nice. I say we blow it down with magic!" Despite Sith's warnings, no one objected. Though, they heard Sith shouting for them to stop behind the wall. But it did little good. The Incubus strode up, grinning as his long, black hair swirled in front of his face. He was, aside from Sith, the best equipped with magic. Surely one wall couldn't stop his mighty surge of power from shattering such an obstacle to pieces. He held out a hand, closed his eyes, and murmured something in a language no one recognized. A ball of pink light appeared in his outstretched hand, and it grew as he chanted the spell again. Finally, it grew to be nearly as large as the demon's head. He threw it at the wall with such force, that it literally exploded on contact. Everyone, save for the Incubus, backed away in terror. Magic grinded against the stone, exploding into tiny bursts of flame as it did, sending wafts of acrid smoke through both sides of the wall. Bakura felt he would choke on it, and Atemu was already coughing from the thick smell. But still, it went on. It continued for minutes, until finally, the last embers died along the cold stone. The smoke cleared slowly, helped by one Esper who cast a wind spell to clear the air. The wall remained, as though nothing had touched it at all. It was unbelievable!

"No way!" Mahaado whispered, "There's no way that's possible!" Karim nodded grimly, crossing his arms.

"That wall has been fortified if it withstood all of that onslaught," he added darkly, almost bitterly. He turned to Seth, but Seth wasn't there. He had moved farther away, where the crowd was thinning, and he was still moving on! Karim blinked profusely, wondered just where in hell Seth thought he was going. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called, and for a moment, Seth did stop. He turned back to the larger priest, both Karim and Mahaado looking at him curiously. As Seth wandered over, Karim whispered, "Where on earth are you going, Seth?"

"That wall's not coming down as easily as the pharaoh wants," Seth replied just as quietly, careful to keep his voice low, "I'm going to sneak around and see if there's another way to open it."

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Mahaado asked him incredulously, nervously shifting to muffle their conversation, "I mean, going alone?" Seth hummed for just a second. He was glad that the two were at least keeping it quiet. The last thing they needed was for everyone to panic again. He understood what Mahaado was asking; they wanted to come with him. But people would definitely notice if three high priests were missing. No, this was something he _had_ to do alone to avoid stirring any commotion up. As much as he didn't like the risk, he nodded his head.

"We can't make a scene, and the pharaoh would know if all three of us left," the young priest replied carefully, "They won't be keeping too good a watch on me, so I can risk it. But you both have been with the pharaoh for much longer than I. It might be riskier, but in the long run, it'll be worth it to not have everyone searching for us." He also didn't mention that it'd help him redeem himself. His standing had pretty much collapsed to nothing at that point, and no one particularly trusted him. And he didn't like that. Despite the many things he hated, this job meant the world to him. Somehow, Karim saw that. Mahaado wanted to protest, but Karim was the one who stopped him.

"All right. We'll cover for you again," the big priest said calmly, and then in a much grimmer tone, he added, "But only because this is the right thing for everyone. If you screw up again, we're letting your ass burn in hell." Somehow, Karim sounded much more intimidating than Seth felt was right. Then again, this concerned the pharaoh, and more importantly, Karim's old student. And Seth had already screwed Sith over more than enough times before he realized how bad this was. He just nodded.

"Not unless I throw one of you in first," he countered, trying just a bit too hard to be taken seriously. Then he left, knowing he had made a fool of himself. Karim just watched the younger priest weave through the crowd, everyone else too worried about the wall to notice him leaving. Then, the large priest shook his head, letting it rest on one upraised palm. Mahaado glanced at him, and then at the hall where Seth just turned and disappeared.

"Think we made a good choice?" he asked, though he knew the answer. It was most probably a negative. Letting Seth handle most of anything was usually a mistake. Karim just sighed.

"It's either going to actually work, or it's going to be a short journey for him," the bigger priest said tiredly, "Let's hope it actually works." Mahaado didn't really like what Karim was implying, but he nodded anyway. He had a certain level of trust in Seth that he couldn't really explain. Mainly because Seth only seemed to pull through when it really counted. And right then, it actually counted. Mahaado just hoped Seth knew that. It'd make all the difference in the outcome.

-----------------------------(End chapter)

And so, after getting into the castle and wandering around, watching Bakura mistreat his team, Seth now needs to go sneaking around just to see if he can help them proceed even further. And he has to do it alone. But, can Mahaado and Karim keep his departure secret again? And, will he find the switch to help lower the wall? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	25. A day late and four Lords short

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he thinks Seth makes a decent ninja.

No one even noticed Seth had left. They were too focused on trying to bring the wall down, but everything they were trying was failing miserably. Not that they expected anything different, but surely, something had to work soon. The Incubus had given up using magic, for his power was becoming more and more strained from using it; that, and Sith had told them to save their strength for Rath. A few of the werewolves had been stubborn, but for the most part, Sith's voice was enough for them to stop trying. Still, it would've been nice for the wall to break sometime soon. They all knew Rath was lurking around. It'd be just a matter of time until she realized her trap actually worked. And then, no one wanted to know what would happen then.

---

Seth knew this was a bad idea. He knew he had decided on a bad idea, and he went with it anyway. Leaving his friends, his comrades, his companions to try and stop Rath was one of the stupidest things he could've done, but he had to do something for them. He wasn't exactly a good priest, but he was excellent with deception. And this seemed like the perfect situation for him. But it was just too damn dangerous. Mystics were starting to show up as soon as he hit the upper floor. He guessed no one felt the need to go down below; he had overheard that the outer perimeter was used mainly for storage. There were cells, which he guessed Rath trapped Sith and Sceppiro into, but hardly anyone in Nesce would use them. Espers had no need for prisoners. Obviously, Espers didn't think of Rath as one of their own.

Despite being on the upper floor, where the walls were painted golden with a red stripe, where the floors were polished, and where he could hear noise, Seth found himself even more scared than when he'd been down below. Every noise could've indicated that he'd been caught. He knew he wasn't as crafty or quick as Bakura. He really could be caught, very easily. Deciding caution was the best route, he did what he could to soften his footsteps, even to the point of taking off and carrying his sandals. The marble felt cold underneath his feet. Shuffling slowly, he came from the stairwell into a large hallway, with two staircases leading up to another floor, and a large fountain of a wolf in the center. He realized this was the entrance hall. He could throw the doors open and allow the dragons in, if he wanted. Except that he wasn't strong enough. And there were still Espers that wanted Sith dead. He sighed, and dove for a pillar as he heard two such Espers walk down the stairs.

"Are you quite certain that Lady Sith is trapped down there?" came the voice of one of the women who'd been with Rath when Seth had come to rescue Bakura. The man she was with, slightly taller and in blue silk, nodded as they rushed past toward the stairs leading downward.

"Yes. I have seen it on the cameras! They're trapped!" he exclaimed, but to Seth's surprise, he seemed worried, not happy, to hear such news. Likewise, the woman seemed equally as scared. Seth blinked slowly. Something about this just didn't seem quite right. He took out his Millennium Rod. It didn't matter how they sounded; it could've been a ruse. He aimed, and blasted both of them with light. It dazed the man, who fell down the stairs. The woman slammed into the pillar and slid down. She didn't move. Seth winced as he watched them both. He hadn't meant to hurt them. He merely wanted to knock them out for the time being.

"…oh well. Sith will thank me when they don't come bearing axes," he told himself, and quickly ran to disarm the woman. She had no weapons on her, which Seth found equally as suspicious. But he had other things to attend to, and he left her alone, running to the fountain. He gazed up at the wolf. It looked distantly at the far wall, water spouting from its mouth. Seth drew a deep breath. He'd have to go upstairs, he knew. He wanted to keep searching, but he had been to the first floor of the castle before; all that sat there was the study, the dining hall, the kitchens, and the inner court. He highly doubted Rath was in any of them, or that there was anything to help him free his friends. Making sure the pathway was clear, he darted for the staircases, and hid between when he heard another Esper coming down.

"Damn it, Scias! Katsaiga! Where are you both!?" he demanded in a sharp hiss, "Stop leaving me to cover for you! I want to see Sith, too! Assholes!" He dashed down the stairs and toward the basement without even noticing that Seth was there. Seth just snorted, wondering who the hell that man was. Obviously, none of them were going down to harm Sith. They must've just wanted to confirm the rumors. Seth shrugged, stepped out of the shadows, and continued on up the stairs. He didn't even flinch as the Esper screamed, having seen the woman, Katsaiga, in such disarray.

"Not my problem," Seth whispered, even though he knew he'd been the one that knocked them both over the heads. In his mind, he had to. They were potential threats. As he continued up the stairs, he pondered how badly it would've gone if he hadn't hurt them. The woman had been unarmed. Considering that she had fought alongside Rath, that had to mean something. But she hadn't attacked them then, either. Was it possible that perhaps, she wasn't actually working with Rath? Seth didn't know. It was an interesting thing to question. Then, he shook his head.

"No. I can worry about that later. I need to keep going, and I can't let those three distract me! There are even more people here that need to be either rescued or killed," Seth said to himself, unable to decide which one would happen more, "Besides, Bakura's down there. He'll kill them if he thinks they'd hurt them." Seth nodded firmly, and continued on. No Espers came to greet him as he made it to the second floor. The stairs ended in a wide hallway that eventually split in two, after leading to a set of double doors. Seth narrowed his eyes. The hall was empty, but whatever that room was, he felt something. He silently ran to it, and tried the handle. It was locked. He wasn't so sure he was surprised to find that, either. Pressing his ears to the door, he listened for voices on the other side.

"We have to try and get out, Geus!" came a young voice from within, and then the clinking of metal upon metal, "Damn it, Lady Sith's in danger! Didn't you hear Katsaiga!? Are you even listening!? Geus, pretend to be interested, will you!?"

"Rett, shut up!" came a deeper voice, gruff like a werewolf's, "I hear ya, you stupid idiot! If Rath hears you, we're all dead! Stop fooling around and listen to me. We're coming up with an idea to bust out." Seth stepped back. There were people locked in there! And, they were _against_ Rath as well! That was good news. The only problem was getting them out of there. He guessed he needed a key, and he guessed Rath had that key. Biting his lip, he crept even closer to the door. He couldn't decide if he wanted to make his presence known or not. Just because they were against Rath didn't quite mean they were on his side, either. Especially since he'd caused Sith so much strain in the first place. But then he decided he should risk it. They might still give him information even if they weren't on his side. The key here was knowing they opposed _Rath_.

"I might be able to help you," he called through the door, and the voices all dropped. He must've scared them, or perhaps they just didn't trust him. He heard very faint footsteps coming toward the door.

"Who are you?" came the gruff voice again, "Are you a friend of Rath's?"

"No. I work with Sith," Seth replied, and immediately he heard the murmuring of other voices, "I'm trying to _find_ Rath so I can lower the wall that's trapping Sith. And now so I can help you all, too." The murmuring stopped, and now he wondered if they even believed him. Quietly, he added, "I'm not asking you to trust me. But if you could tell me where Rath is, I can help Sith." The silence continued on until the gruff voice spoke again.

"You alone can't do shit to Rath. That's why we're speechless. No one's dumb enough to try," the voice said bluntly, and Seth felt his eye twitch, "Well, no _Esper_, anyway." Seth growled in annoyance. Here he was trying to _help_ these Espers out, and they were _mocking_ him for doing something crazy! He stuffed his hands in his pockets and huffed.

"Fine, then maybe I _won't_ help you," he grumbled, and began to walk away, "Hope you assholes like fire, because Rath'll send you to hell now." Of course, he was joking, but he really didn't appreciate being insulted like that. He waited just long enough to warrant a response from them. And he wasn't disappointed.

"Wait! Stop! We'll help, just don't leave us here!" came the younger voice, and Seth snorted as he exclaimed, "OUCH! Damn it, Geus, why did you hit me!?"

"You're too soft, do you know that!? We're locked in a little room and you're already throwing yourself down to a _human_ who might be _lying_ to us!" the gruff voice replied in annoyance. Seth hummed slowly, his eyes narrowing again. He tapped his foot.

"I'm not lying. I really do work with Sith," he stated calmly, though every fiber inside him told him he'd do better with screaming, "Look, either you help me or you don't. Even if I do find Rath, you aren't out anything. Either way, I'm going on ahead, so you have five minutes, or I leave without you." Silence reigned again, and Seth hoped they were using that time to make a crucial decision. The minutes passed slowly, as though elongated to give them the time they truly needed. Seth was sure magic really had been used for that, but as he turned, the younger voice spoke again.

"He's right, Geus. We don't have anything to lose here," he said. The gruff voice sighed, and finally seemed to agree. Seth heard more footsteps approach the door.

"Fine. But I want to know what business you have with Lady Sith," he stated firmly, "Who are you, and how do you know our lady?"

"I am Seth, High Priest and councilman of the court of the Pharaoh. I reside in Egypt, where Sith has been residing, in the guise of a powerful knight to the court," Seth replied sternly, hoping his tone portrayed what his expression could not, "My current job is to aid in the destruction of the wall that separates us from her in the outer perimeter, but no one knows I am here." More silence followed, and Seth felt his impatience rise. These Espers took too damn long for everything. It was no wonder Sceppiro had gone crazy after Sith left. He probably figured it'd take millennia before he ever saw her again.

"So the rumors _were_ true," the gruff voice stated thoughtfully. Seth heard himself growl. Was this Esper an idiot? The younger voice laughed.

"I _told_ you it was true!" he declared, and Seth heard a snap, and then, "_OUCH! _Damn it, stop that!"

"Then shut your pie hole," the gruff voice replied, and to Seth said, "Your answer's good enough for me. We don't know where Rath is, but we know that she's using the Observatory on the fourth floor as her chambers. She's turned all of our surveying equipment into a full-scale security system. Probably to catch _you_ guys. If you're going to disarm it, start there." Seth thought on that carefully. At least these Espers were good for _something_, even if it was given in a half-assed way. The only problem was, he had no idea what a security system was. Egypt wasn't as advanced as Aeroglyph was in terms of technology.

"When you say 'security system,' what exactly am I dealing with here?" the priest asked them, "Are you talking traps and spears? I'm efficient with those." The gruff voice snorted in amusement, and though Seth couldn't see, he imagined the man behind the door was shaking his head.

"No. We're talking alarms, bombs, and sirens," the gruff voice spoke, "Stuff that'll definitely let Rath know that you're here. Stuff that was set off when that thief was brought here." Seth grumbled. He remembered how their escape from Nesce the _first_ time went. He just hoped this time would bring the kingdom back to its original form: _not _scattered all across Egypt's empire. He took a deep breath. This was going to require a bit more stealth and logic than he was used to using. He began to regret not taking Bakura again, though he was sure Bakura would have an episode if he were reminded of his treatment here. As strong as Bakura was, torture changed people. Torture was what made him so damn evil in the first place. Even if it was emotional.

"All right. I'll go see what I can do about getting that wall down, and if I find any keys, I'll break the lock for you," Seth told them, "That's assuming you won't get out before then."

"Chances are, we won't with Geus in charge!" the younger voice chirped, and then that all-too-familiar snapping noise sounded again, with the familiar, "_OUCH!_" afterwards. Seth snorted, and began down the left hallway, where he knew the stairs had been. He didn't want to assume Rath kept the castle _exactly_ the same, but he also didn't want to assume she changed it, either. Hell, he didn't want to assume _anything_. Assumptions are what kicked his ass so badly to begin with. Luckily, his light assumption of her not changing the castle was what won the battle; the stairs were still where they had been before. Seth just grinned. It _could've_ pointed to danger, but right then, he was glad that there was _something_ to make this easier. He dashed lightly to the stairs, deciding that enough of the Espers here seemed to be on his side and that he could wear his sandals again.

"I'm almost surprised," he whispered to himself, as he came to a stop in front of the staircase, "There would've been more of them here, I'd thought. How many were simply waiting for a chance to change sides?" He considered that Sith had probably brought back most of the best legions Aeroglyph had. And if she did, the others would follow, knowing that their best warriors sided with her. It made him question what Rath had used to actually take control of Aeroglyph at all. And it also made him miss Sith, just for a second. He'd have loved to see her expression when she realized how many of her cousin's forces actually chose _her_. But a sudden noise popped him out of those thoughts. He blinked, becoming very alert. That noise was close. It sounded again, closer to the stairs, on the third floor. He bit his lip and slid into the shadows behind the stairwell. It was then that he realized someone was coming down. He was glad he'd hid.

"Damn it, can't she do anything right!?" came a shrill voice, "We send her to investigate and see if our little vermin were caught, and she decides to take three hours! Rath should just send her to Oblivion and be done with her!" Seth's mind raced as he saw who the speaker was. It was the second woman that had appeared with Rath. And she looked indefinitely angry with something. Seth's skin paled. Maybe what he had done did have more repercussions than he thought. Now he felt bad. But only because if the trail led back to him, he'd be killed. He waited silently for the woman to pass, and then slipped out behind her. He'd have to take care of her before she reached the first floor.

"I mean, honestly, I'm the only one here loyal to her majesty, Lord Rath!" the woman declared, "These filthy ingrates are just waiting until news of their beloved scum of a king and his equally disgusting sister float up! _UGH!_ How dare they even _think_ they could get away with it! How dare they unify with Egypt and attempt to overthrow us!"

"Yes, how dare we win while we're at it, too," Seth commented smugly. He was glad the woman was too into her inner ravings to notice him. She gave a curt nod.

"I know! Trust me, when we find you bastards, you're going down!" she yelled back, and then stopped when it finally registered that she was speaking to someone else, "…what!?" She went to turn, but Seth was much faster. He slammed her right in the face with the rod before she even saw him, and he heard a crack as her nose began to bleed. He must've broken it. But he shrugged. If she was loyal to Rath, it didn't matter what he did, so long as he didn't actually kill her. So far, he had knocked her down. But that wasn't enough. If she woke up, he was dead. So, he took her arms and dragged her to the stairway leading back to the first floor. Taking a deep breath, he heaved her down them, wincing when she thumped three times before crashing onto the floor below. He was surprised she didn't break anything else, nor was there any blood to show for it. But that was a good thing; again, if he managed to kill her, he was down for murder.

"Nice shot," came another voice behind him, "I'd have thrown her off the roof, but you get marks for aiming. Nice." Seth turned quickly, and his mouth dropped. He saw one of the men from earlier. His green hair shimmered as it hung down his back, framing his purple coat. His eyes were a deep crimson, and they sparkled underneath that amused grin. Seth's brows creased as he evaluated this man; he could've been friend _or_ foe. Or even both.

"Who the hell are _you_!?" Seth demanded, his hand flying to the Millennium Rod. The man held up his hands in mock surrender, one slender eyebrow going up at the same time as his movement.

"Relax. I'm on your side," he replied, "My name's Gilden Lancaster. I'm a friend of Sith's." Seth lowered his item only fractionally. If that were so, what the hell was he doing _here_? Seth asked him that, and he snorted as he said, "Some of us have to keep an eye on her supreme bitchiness, Rath."

"Sith has _spies_?" Seth asked him incredulously. Gilden chuckled again and shook his head.

"No. She doesn't know we're even here. We work in secret, and we were in the process of putting together a real cozy report for her when _this_ shit happened," Gilden told him, crossing his arms lazily, "I have to say, it helps when half of Rath's lords actually work against her." Seth's eyes widened. _Half_ of Rath's _LORDS_ were on their side!? It was no wonder they had so much support! Then he realized just what he'd done. He managed to actually smash two of their allies in one move. They could've helped him, too.

"…oops," he mumbled, his face beginning to streak with crimson. Gilden looked at him for another second, and then laughed heartily until tears began to form in his eyes. He wiped them away and shook his head.

"Gods wallop, that was _you_!?" the Esper inquired, and Seth reluctantly nodded his head, "Damn it, you're really bent on creating some hell for us, aren't you?"

"It'd have been nice to know that you guys were actually on our side first," Seth mumbled in response, "Wait… so you wanting to see Sith… you were going to _help_ her? Help _us_?" Gilden nodded.

"Hell, yes. Anything to get Sceppiro's ass back on the throne," the Esper replied enthusiastically, "With him and his sister working together to unite our two worlds, you can only imagine the possibilities this could have on everyone. Trust us, Rath is screwing what their family's worked for about thirty years now." Seth thought carefully on that. He could see the benefits of keeping the Espers as allies. It'd make protecting both kingdoms so much easier. But then, something else caught Seth's attention, something this Esper just said.

"Wait… thirty years!?" Seth repeated, and Gilden nodded, "But… but… Bahamut said… that Claude, that Sith's father, was working to bring this…" He stopped. He remembered what Bahamut said. If he was speaking the truth, Sith really was over a thousand years old already. Gilden's smile grew as he realized this, and Seth said, "So all that crap about Sith and Sceppiro… it wasn't a lie!"

"Bahamut doesn't lie for the hell of it, moron," Gilden said flatly, his grin fading only a little, "Sith's old as hell. Sure, I'm older, but she's not far behind me. And Sceppiro's even older. What!? You don't believe me!?" Seth had begun to look at Gilden as though he were absolutely crazy, and considering what Gilden was implying, he technically could've been. Except that Seth knew too well that magic worked wonders on people. He remembered seeing Sith when they were smaller, though. What did that mean? He looked back at Gilden, who seemed pretty annoyed to know that Seth didn't believe him.

"…Gilden, if Sith really is over a thousand, how the hell did she age so quickly?" he asked, "Atemu… the pharaoh and I, we grew up with her! Hell, even Bakura saw her when she was younger. What are you trying to say?" Gilden's lips thinned, and Seth noted that he now seemed full-out furious with something. He looked down toward the entrance hall, toward the statue of Claude Winchester in its niche. His eyes narrowed.

"Rest assured that Sith hasn't truly aged in about two hundred years," he replied solemnly, "That was entirely her father's fault. He used magic to mask her age. He wasn't sure how the pharaoh's father would feel about his son possibly being wed to a woman older than his palace. It'd last for about twelve hours before he had to recast it, but that's why she 'grew up' with you. Her father wanted her to understand a normal human life span if she was going to live here."

"So she _was_ a pawn in her father's plans," Seth concluded, and his brows creased, "Damn, that's incredibly low. I didn't want to believe it the first time, but he didn't even think! What, did he expect us to never find out? Or did he just want a strong kingdom?"

"Claude loved his children. He wanted them to have what they deserved," Gilden told him sternly, "He's not a bad man, and he certainly didn't think he was doing this for himself. Sith was sheltered when she _was_ young, because she's of Esper nobility, and he wanted her to learn more about living amongst humans. Especially now that he learned the kingdom he was negotiating with had a prince. It wasn't about strengthening himself or Nesce. It was about making sure his children would be safe here."

"Then why not just send Rath to Oblivion directly? Wouldn't that destroy her?" Seth asked him. Gilden fell silent now. That was true. Oblivion would kill anyone who entered; it literally was a huge void of space, with only a few bits that could be passed through safely. But there were laws regarding it, laws that obviously this world just didn't know of. Not that he blamed its inhabitants. Many worlds never knew Oblivion existed. Still, finally, Gilden shook his head.

"It's not that simple, priest," he replied casually, shrugging his shoulders, "There be laws regarding how we can and can't handle Oblivion. Which kind of sucks, since Espers are the ones who created those laws. Technically, Rath _should_ be sentenced, but because she's already opened up Oblivion, we're screwed unless we can kill her _without_ using Oblivion." Seth's eyes narrowed again. He didn't like all of this talk of Oblivion. He hated being confused, and that was what was happening; Oblivion was confusing him, and chances are, it was probably confusing Gilden, too.

"Then let's get going with that," Seth replied, and changed the subject just slightly, "We've got other Espers who'll help us if we can get them out. We need the key to the audience chamber. I think that's where they're being kept." Gilden just tilted his head, his smug grin returning. For a moment, Seth wondered if he'd actually help him, or if he was just trying to confuse Seth. Then, Gilden turned and began walking down the hall, Seth deciding to follow him shortly afterwards.

"Our best bet's to break into Rath's office and see if she's kept it there," Gilden told him, as they passed the audience chamber and went toward the stairs leading to the third floor, "I doubt she's that dumb, but with her, you never know. Picking a war with Sith was pretty dumb, and she definitely did that, as you can see." Seth hid a snort. As much as he disliked the knight in question, he had to admit that anyone who ended up in a fight against her usually wound up dead. And if they didn't, they died later that night if they were lucky. They climbed the stairs leading up, Seth becoming aware that there were still more voices as they went along. He hesitated, as did Gilden, and for a moment, they stood on the stairs, waiting. The voices seemed oblivious to their approach.

"Who is that?" Seth asked him quietly, when they let another minute pass anxiously.

"Falnika and Martus," Gilden growled lowly, "Two Espers we need to be wary of. They're both on Rath's side." Seth just gulped. The voices sounded uncomfortably close to them. Then, suddenly, the voices just dropped. Seth blinked, waiting a few more seconds in case they came back. But they didn't. He looked up at Gilden questioningly, but the Esper just tapped his chin and said, "They left."

"Just like that?" Seth breathed, and Gilden nodded.

"They probably don't know you all are in the castle yet. Hell knows I certainly didn't," Gilden told him, "Anyway, this'll make getting to her office a little easier. Let's go." He led Seth up the rest of the stairs and into a long, quiet hallway that seemed to span around the entire castle. Closed doors sat on either side all along the hall, and Seth didn't dare to open even one. Just because it was silent didn't mean there weren't people lurking behind the doors. They passed without a word, turning the corner. That's when Seth noticed the destruction on the castle. The wall had been torn apart, bricks and stone lying in heaps that nearly blockaded the entire passage. Seth's eye twitched. He had a feeling he knew what had caused it, but just to be sure, he asked anyway.

"What the hell happened!?" he blurted out. Gilden regarded the mess with only a little interest, and shrugged as he began to climb over the bricks.

"Something decided to take a chunk out of the castle," he replied easily, sliding down one pile, "Sounded like a cannon, but the only one crazy enough to employ those would be Sith's crazy uncle." Seth didn't feel the need to tell him that Cyd _did_ fire cannons at the castle. He clambered over the bricks, wincing as he felt his robe catching on one of them. Gilden was already over all of the mess; Seth needed a little more help to get through. And unfortunately, the Esper wasn't even aware that Seth needed it. Seth just grumbled as he stumbled through. There'd be no point in calling the green-haired man back anyway. Eventually, Seth managed to tumble down the last pile, landing in a heap right behind Gilden, who was looking around vigilantly in case they were being watched. He looked over his shoulder at the heap, and grinned as he said, "I think it's clear." Seth just snorted.

"Right. 'I think' sounds so promising right now," he said sarcastically, "Why don't you chalk it up next to 'We _might_ be in danger' while you're at it."

"You don't need to be bitchy about it," Gilden grumbled crossly, as he stepped out into a brighter hall that, once again crossed both ways, "In any case, I really can't be sure. We have the power to teleport where and when we need to at any given rate. Even if it looks clear, it never truly means it is." Seth was about to argue, and then he shut his mouth. There really was no reason to try; Espers were a difficult race to predict at best. For all they knew, they _were_ being followed. But if that was so, would they really be allowed to get this far?

"Do all Espers possess this ability?" Seth asked him, as they shuffled down silently, their footsteps only making the meekest of sound. Gilden hummed and shook his head slowly as they turned a sharp corner that dipped just ever so slightly. From the slits built into the wall, Seth could see that storm clouds had begun to set in.

"No, not all of us," he replied, "Espers that live in other worlds tend to lose this ability. Some worlds interpret magic differently than others, and some abilities get lost in the throng of constant energy. But if you're wondering, yes, all of the Espers living in Aeroglyph can teleport." That answered Seth's unasked question. Until they reached the stair to the last floor, the walk continued on in silence. Seth took the time to familiarize himself with the scenery. He'd be coming back soon with Atemu and their own army, and he wanted to report everything he could if there was any opposition. But nothing seemed even remotely out of place. The carpet was cleaned, the air was fresh, and the torches providing the light were bright with fire, throwing a harsh, orange glow against the stone walls. If he hadn't known who lived here, Seth would've actually felt bad for vandalizing such a nice place.

"So, why did Rath want the throne, anyway?" Seth asked him, as the hall widened even further as it opened into a round court. The stairway to the upper floor stood to the right; another set of double doors graced the left. Gilden veered toward the stairs.

"Who wouldn't? Whoever controls the throne pretty much controls all magic in Oblivion," he answered simply, "Rath's ambitious and she doesn't feel it's fair that we need to share our magic with every other world in Oblivion. My guess is that she assumes that once she takes the throne, she can just seal off our magic and keep it for Espers only." Seth just nodded, trying to remember Bahamut's words concerning Rath's sanity. He had made her out to be insane, but what if that wasn't so? What if it really was as simple as not wanting to share magic? Then there was Oblivion itself. Such a shift could destroy worlds in an instant. Seth knew that much, as well. Saimun had told all of the priests about that at one point.

"Can she truly do that?" Seth asked, his voice barely a whisper, "Seal off magic from everyone else?"

"No. That's the problem. There's always a certain level of magic in any given world, and if you try to change that, shit's going to happen to that world," the Esper replied, "And Rath wants to do this on a large scale. You know what happens. It'll be one huge chain reaction, and nothing's going to stop it if she succeeds." Seth shivered. Maybe this was what Bahamut actually meant. Oblivion might not be controlling _her_, but it _would_ decimate them all if she did anything. No wonder Sith had wanted to do this alone. If this information was leaked, Egypt would have a widespread panic.

"Then… if she manages it… will this world really blow up?" Seth asked him, and Gilden noted the tone of terror in the priest's voice. Gilden gave him a weak smile.

"It'll be worse than that, my friend. Any world that's had even an ounce of influence from us will fall apart," he replied honestly, "And seeing as how our race is already thousands of years old, that's going to be one hell of a chain reaction she'll start. I'd be surprised if even one-one thousandth of Oblivion was left standing." Seth's eyes widened in horror. That sounded like such a small part! Who knew Rath had so much power in her hands now? Now it made sense, why this battle was so important. If they didn't stop her, the world really was doomed.

"So how do we stop her?" he asked, as Gilden looked up the stairs to make sure it was safe to proceed, "Do we kill her?"

"Killing isn't my style, but that's definitely the fastest way to stop her," Gilden agreed with amusement, "My guess is, though, Bahamut will just plug her power for a few thousand years. Much less bloody, and we won't need to slaughter other Espers. If Sith's smart, though, she'll move for a death sentence. Rath deserves it after the shit we've been through." As much as Seth was opposed to bloodying his hands, he had to agree with that, too. Rath really was putting everyone in the universe in danger, and the only way to make sure that never happened again was to silence her forever. He found himself speechless as Gilden glanced back only a second longer before climbing one stair. They walked up in silence, Gilden making it a deliberate effort to lessen the sound of their shoes. The stairs felt narrow with each step they took, and Seth's eyes began to feel warm inside their sockets, as though he were getting a fever. He looked back down again. There was nothing down there behind them.

"Is it me… or do you feel ill?" Seth inquired, looking up to see that Gilden had already made it to the top of the stairs. Seth came up shortly after and watched as Gilden bent over a lock to pick it. His expression looked grim for once.

"I do feel funny, but not ill," Gilden replied, and cursed, "Damn it, what the hell's wrong with this lock!?" He tried shooting lightning into it, and it did nothing. Seth just watched blankly, wishing that his vision would stop swimming. Whatever was happening, he knew it wasn't natural. He felt perfectly fine until they came toward the stairs. He felt his legs wobble a bit.

"I have a friend that can pick that," he said quietly, laying a hand on the wall in an attempt to steady himself. Gilden looked at him, and then snorted, turning back to the lock to try breaking it again.

"If it's that thief, Bakura, don't even bother," he stated firmly, with just a tone of laughter, "Rath's got this place safeguarded from you guys. He'd be as effective as a wet napkin." Seth blinked, not knowing what exactly a napkin was, but he just shrugged. Gilden had a point; Bakura was downright useless sometimes. A noise behind him caused him to turn around toward the stairs. It was then that Gilden heard Seth scream. He stood up straight, eyes wide, but he didn't turn around. He didn't need to. He knew who was there, and his face contorted in pain as he heard her voice.

"What the hell are you doing, Gilden!?" demanded a shrill voice. Gilden finally turned to see Falnika and Martus again. Martus looked absolutely dumbstruck, but Falnika looked ready to pop; her face was red, her hands on her hips. Seth was frozen in terror, and Gilden seemed just a bit disturbed to see them both there. But he wasn't terrified in the least. He seemed to be expecting them, at least at some point. His sly grin returned again, filling Seth with a sense of utter dread. If he did anything stupid, they were dead.

"Just looking for keys," Gilden stated, "We have a prisoner we need to lock up. I found him sneaking in through the roof." Seth glanced at Gilden accusingly, and Gilden simply mouthed 'play along.' Seth gave the slightest of nods, and turned back to the Espers in question. Falnika eyed him suspiciously.

"The roof, eh? Rath didn't think anyone would be dumb enough to try that," she mused, and narrowed her eyes as she came closer, "…haven't I seen you before?" Seth's eyes widened in horror again, and he wanted nothing more than to shove her away and run. The only thing stopping him was Gilden. And Martus, too. But Falnika caught the look. She grinned wickedly and said, "I remember you now." Gilden now looked a little worried as he glanced at Seth. Seth's lips went thin, and he took out his rod. Before she could respond, Falnika was smashed over the head with it and sent flying down the stairs. Martus finally looked up as he realized they were being assaulted. He pointed one gauntleted finger at Gilden, his brows creased in frustration.

"Hey! You can't…" Gilden rushed down and kicked him down after Falnika before he finished. They both landed with a mighty crash that sent a small tremor through the castle. Seth winced. That really shouldn't have been possible. Martus must've weighed seven or eight hundred pounds to cause that. And it all landed right on top of Falnika. Hopefully, she'd been crushed to death. Gilden rushed back to the lock and took out a sword, slamming it into the metal ruthlessly. Seth turned, but Gilden spoke before he even got the question formed.

"We need to get in before someone else alerts Rath," he hissed, and finally succeeded in smashing the lock into submission. It fell with a quiet clang, and Gilden threw the door open. The Observatory was exactly as it had been when Seth rescued Bakura; cold, gray, and silent. It was also very dim. Gilden glanced around before lifting a hand to create a small flame on his finger. Soft light was thrown all around him, revealing the pristine, white flooring. Gilden looked absolutely disgusted as he stepped further inside, not caring that his boots dragged dirt into the room.

"I hope Sith remodels when we get her back here," he grumbled flatly, "This space-age theme Rath seems to like is an abomination to my damn eyes." Seth just laughed. The Observatory looked much better when they'd met Sceppiro; dark, dank, but full of beautiful artifacts and equipment, and comfortable furniture, too. The place looked lived-in. Seth had liked that. Unconsciously, he kicked a box aside as Gilden went toward a metal desk, shoving open the drawers and rummaging messily through the contents. He sighed in frustration, and went to the bookcase instead, pulling out and dropping anything within the shelves. Seth watched in utter disbelief. Back in Egypt, he'd have been whipped for destroying the pharaoh's property like that. Then again, this was Rath. No one appeared to respect her too much.

"What the hell are you looking for?" he finally asked, as Gilden growled again and pulled a cabinet open, "You're making a mess." Gilden stopped pulling stuff out and looked up at Seth. Indeed, he was trashing the room a grand deal, but that didn't matter to him. Unless this was Sith's or Sceppiro's room, he just didn't care what he destroyed. And it was neither of their rooms any longer. He shrugged and went back to pulling out papers and tablets scrawled with runes.

"You act like I care," the Esper said, equally as flat, "I'm looking for her keys so we can help Sith. Now, are you going to nag, or are you going to help me?" Seth sighed. He didn't like being ordered around, but he might as well do something useful. He walked to another desk and ripped the drawers out. He went just a step ahead of Gilden and dumped the drawers over, spilling their contents carelessly. Paper flew, along with rubber bands and clips. But no keys existed there. Gilden moved onto the rack of weapons on the wall. He tore them down, throwing them shamelessly on the linoleum floor, not caring how loud they were being. They now had weapons on their side, and if Rath did show up, Gilden must've felt he could just take the battleaxe he'd dumped and chop her down with it. Seth doubted it was that simple, but Gilden was the one risking his life, not Seth.

"Did you find it?" he asked, moving to a potted plant by the corner and kicking the large urn over. Soil and roots spilled onto the floor, but there was no key within, even as Seth bent down and scrambled through the dirt. Gilden snorted as he removed the last dagger from the wall, looking down at his pile of medieval torture tools. He grinned.

"Not yet. She hid them well," the Esper replied, knocking a portrait off and smiling as the glass case it was in shattered, "How about you?"

"I've found dirt, and paper, and bugs, but no key," Seth said, and stopped suddenly, "…should we really be destroying this room, though? Wouldn't that make it more work for Sceppiro later?" Gilden's ever-present grin broadened as he continued to dump everything onto the floor. He tramped through the dirt triumphantly.

"So what? Asshole deserves it for what _he_ did, too," Gilden reasoned easily, "Anyway, I found the keys. She hid it in the portrait of herself, egotistical maniac. Should we go?" Seth's initial reaction was to nod, and then he stopped himself. Gilden was still defiling the room even _after_ he knocked over the portrait. Seth looked at him suspiciously, and Gilden's grin grew even more. There was no mistake; the damage was done on purpose.

"…if you had the key, why'd you keep scattering everything?" the priest asked him suspiciously. Gilden raised an amused brow.

"Because Sceppiro's a jerk," he said simply, "Now come on. Time's a-wasting, buddy." Seth didn't argue. They walked out of the now-disastrous office, Gilden making sure to extinguish the light before closing the door. Seth simply took one last look at what had once been a royal observatory. It was a pig sty now. Just like the rest of his life. Just like Oblivion would be if they didn't succeed. They'd just have to succeed then. And that meant freeing the other Espers first.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, after sneaking off and inadvertently harming some of Sith's spies, Seth finally finds hope in the form of a wiseass of an Esper named Gilden. Together, they managed to ransack Rath's study while finding the key to free everyone imprisoned in the castle. But will it help them save Sith and Sceppiro? What of Bakura and the others in the basement, trying valiantly to break down the stone wall? And has Rath been alerted? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	26. Ambush

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he thinks Gilden's a good partner for Seth. The two can destroy everything together.

They had to stop trying to break the damn wall. They tried pretty much everything, and it was clear that the wall separating Sith and Sceppiro from the combined forces of their own kingdom and Egypt wasn't going to break any time soon. The werewolves were exhausted, the vampires were half-asleep, the lone Incubus was close to dropping dead, and all of Atemu's soldiers and villagers were ready to pass out. Any priest available was currently trying to heal them all. Not that it did much; the priests were just as exhausted as everyone else. Only Bakura's group of thieves were stupid enough to continue the vain struggle, despite both Sith and Bakura's protests to them. Even as they pounded at the stone, Bakura was shouting for them to cease and desist. They just ignored him.

"Don't be idiots! You're going to kill yourselves!" Bakura exclaimed, but the thieves wouldn't take no for an answer, "_DAMN IT, I SAID KNOCK IT OFF!_" Atemu just laughed, shaking his head as he rested a hand on the flustered thief's shoulder. Bakura just sighed. He'd just have to accept that Atemu might be the _only_ one taking him seriously now. Sith _had_ to be laughing on the other side of the wall.

"If they're going to insist on this, why not let them kill themselves?" the pharaoh offered calmly. Bakura sighed again, hanging his head as one of his thieves managed to break his hand. Several of the Espers winced as they heard the resounding crack. Mahaado actually looked back in utter disbelief, and Karim just shook his head. Bakura's bunch were absolutely hopeless.

"Don't tempt me," Bakura growled in displeasure. Atemu just chucked comfortingly, and Bakura wasn't surprised when he heard Sith over the wall, either.

"If I were there, this wouldn't happen," she stated, "I'd have killed them all myself. Bakura, what the hell's going on over there?" Bakura just blinked, not knowing if she actually expected him to answer that. He wasn't sure she'd like the news, and if she didn't, heads would roll for it later. In the end, though, he found he didn't care. _His_ head would be fine if he just told her the truth.

"Well, most of your forces are ready to die, and most of ours are smart enough to know when to _stop killing themselves over a fucking WALL!_" Bakura shouted, as another thief finally dropped to the floor, too tired out to even walk away, "Damn it all, why can't you idiots just do what I say!?" The other two thieves finally decided to give it up, having seen their two friends outdone by stone. They stalked toward the guards and sat down. Bakura saw that reluctantly, Mahaado went to help them. He felt bad for the priest; as such, Mahaado was required to heal _everyone_, including criminals.

A loud thump from far behind finally alerted Bakura to the fact that they weren't alone anymore. All of the murmuring ceased, and Bakura felt the tension in the hallway rise dramatically. Every guard went for their weapon, every Esper preparing a spell for the fool who was trying to ambush them. They waited for several minutes, but nothing happened. No one came down toward them, and there weren't any footsteps to show anyone had come down at all. So then…

"What was that noise?" Sith asked, her voice muffled from the wall. Atemu bit his lip, looking at Bakura. Neither could even begin to guess what that noise could've been, but both seemed to agree with one thing: Bakura would be the one to check it out. He took two daggers off his belt and saluted to the pharaoh.

"I'll go do a reconnaissance mission," he replied, "If I'm not back in an hour, assume I was killed." Atemu raised an amused brow, but he didn't protest. Bakura was the best choice. He was a skilled thief _as well as_ a skilled fighter. If any of them could survive an attack, it'd be him. It'd have to be him. Without looking back, the thief ran down the hall, as many of the guards and villagers watched in awe. What had once been their biggest threat was quickly turning into their newest hero. At least, in their eyes.

---

The priest had practically flown down the stairs after Gilden, running down what seemed like hall after endless hall, going down flight after endless flight of stairs. He couldn't even remember what he'd been thinking as he did all of this running, but he knew they were somehow heading toward the audience chamber, even if he couldn't recognize the route Gilden was leading him through. They were passing doors through a dimly lit hall, and Seth couldn't remember passing _any_ rooms on his way up, save for the audience chamber. And Gilden didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon, either. Just where the hell were they going?

"I don't remember coming this way!" Seth called, as they flew down the corridor, rounding a sharp corner and going down a small slope. Gilden looked back only briefly, looking unconcerned for that fact. _He_ knew where they were headed, and in his mind, that was all that should've mattered.

"We're taking a small detour," the Esper replied easily, almost cockily. Seth found he didn't like that tone. Bakura often used it himself, at least when he was _against_ the kingdom.

"Right. And where is this 'detour' of yours?" the priest asked suspiciously, "Hell?" Gilden laughed. Leave it to humans to be that cynical.

"You remember that Rath's got security, right?" Gilden asked, and when he saw Seth nod, he continued, "Well, someone's got to destroy it. Why not do some… _stress relief_ while we're freeing her prisoners?" Seth's left brow raised in alarm. Gilden meant absolute destruction. And as much as Seth was willing to mess with people, sabotage wasn't exactly his style. Bakura, again, would've done something similar to this. Seth began to wonder if somewhere, Gilden was related to the thief. Then he shook his head. There was no way that was possible. Bakura was still human, after all.

"…okay, assuming she doesn't have the room _guarded_, just how are you going to destroy her security system?" Seth asked, as the slope leveled out onto a lower hall, "I really don't think magic will work, since she's an Esper, too." Gilden, however, was completely undisturbed by this. He walked nonchalantly down the hall, and finally turned toward one closed door, looking back at Seth and grinning. Just like an idiot would. No, just like _Bakura_ would.

"That, my friend, is what fists and guns are for," he said darkly, and turned the knob. Seth wanted to cry out, to protest that there could be resistance waiting for them, but as the door slowly opened, he heard a thump. And when light filtered into the room to allow them to see, he saw a corpse drop to the floor. Or what he perceived to be a corpse. It didn't appear to be moving. His eyes widened, and he felt he really should've been screaming. But the fact that Gilden was neither concerned nor surprised threw him into speechlessness. Either Gilden had done something prior to prepare himself for this, or he was just heartless. Seth didn't want to know which was the true reason.

"What in the seven levels of hell!?" he demanded angrily, jumping back as Gilden simply walked inside, completely ignoring the corpse on the floor. It was truly disconcerting how disinterested he was to see _a dead body_ on the floor. And when Seth actually walked into the room, he was sure he'd have a heart attack; there were two more corpses in the seats directly in front of the monitors that depicted where several cameras had been set up. Gilden proceeded to just _shove them right out of the chairs_, too. Seth watched in shocked silence. He couldn't believe what Gilden was doing!

"Let's take a look and see where your little buddies are," Gilden said simply, and switched the monitors around. He saw the one focused on the army behind Atemu, and just laughed as he said, "Damn, it looks like Sinde's going to die soon." Seth blinked, not knowing who the hell Sinde was, but he did see that Atemu was currently speaking with Karim on something, and neither looked particularly happy. He frowned. If Karim blurted out that he'd run off, he was probably done for. He'd already disobeyed Atemu too many times to technically still be allowed to keep his job. But then again, Karim was loyal to a fault. He could be tortured and he wouldn't give his friends away. But then Seth noticed one more thing; Bakura wasn't among the leading forces like he should've been. Seth's brow rose. That couldn't have been too promising.

"Switch to another view. I need to look for someone," Seth said calmly. Gilden just nodded, and this time the monitor showed Sith and Sceppiro, who were trapped inside a cell. Sith was standing near the wall, looking irritated as usual, and Sceppiro was just sitting on the cot, sulking. Nothing looked wrong, though both of them were probably bored out of their minds. Seth smiled weakly and told Gilden to change the channel again, which the Esper did. Now it just showed an empty corridor. Seth's brow raised suspiciously now. Why would Rath want to watch a corridor?

"What the hell is she thinking?" Seth heard Gilden mumble. That was actually a good question. Seth watched on, wondering just what sort of meaning this had when a flicker of movement caught his eye. His pupils dilated, and he leaned closer. He saw a cloak now, and then a veil… he was looking at Bakura! Bakura was running down the hall! But… why? Where was he going?

"Bakura!?" Seth cried, and Gilden looked at the figure as it ran across the screen, "What's going on!? Quickly, where does that hall lead!?" Gilden just blinked, trying to figure out why Seth was so worried. Bakura looked fine; at least, he didn't seem to be hurt.

"I think it leads upstairs, to the first floor," Gilden replied, and Seth cursed angrily, slamming his fists on the table. Gilden yelped and slid back a few feet.

"Damn it, what the hell is that idiot thinking!?" Seth demanded to no one in particular, "Is he trying to get himself killed!?" He glanced down at Gilden, and immediately quieted his voice. _Now_ the Esper looked mildly afraid. Typing quickly on the keyboard, Gilden switched the monitor to one that overlooked a cross-section view of the stairwell that led out of the basement and onto the first floor. Like he had said, Bakura appeared a moment later. But what actually caught Seth's attention was the man lying on the floor, in a dazed heap. _That_ was the man he'd sent flying down the steps with his Millennium Rod. That was also the man Gilden said was working for Sith. Gilden's fear seemed to vanish now, and he grinned.

"I was wondering why your little friend would be running down the hall like that," he commented smugly, "I guess they found out _someone_ was going to check out what happened."

"Is there a way to tell Bakura that the man's a friend?" Seth inquired, but Gilden shook his head, typing again on the keyboard. The monitor zoomed in on Bakura. He was approaching the body carefully, almost curiously. And he had a dagger out, just in case something happened. Not that much could've caught the thief off-guard. He was skilled. Seth _did_ give him that.

"I'm pretty sure Bakura'll figure that out," Gilden assured him, though in honesty, the Esper didn't actually know how likely that was, "Though there's probably a chance he'll stab before Scias even gets the first word in." That didn't sound promising, but there wasn't much either of them could do. Besides, Bakura wasn't as hotheaded as Seth had thought. Hell, the guy was the entire reason they'd stayed so focused on finding Sith way back when. He wouldn't make a hasty move without an explanation first. Gilden switched the cameras back to the cell currently holding Sith and Sceppiro. Sceppiro was still on the bed, but this time, Sith was trying to climb up to the small window above the cot. Was she trying to escape? By the looks of it, she was. But Seth doubted she'd get far. The window was barred shut.

"Okay, we need to get that wall down before Sith goes insane," Seth concluded grimly, "Tell me you know how to disable this thing." Unfortunately, just watching Gilden told the priest that neither had any idea what to do. Gilden mentioned _smashing_ the security system earlier, anyway. That should've tipped Seth off. Flatly, he added, "Other than destroying it. You might set off the alarms." Gilden's grin simply grew again. Right then, Seth would've rather been anywhere but where he was; he had a feeling Gilden would get them into a lot of trouble and not even care about it. And that would just be Seth's luck.

"And who would actually come to stop us?" Gilden asked him, "You already kicked the other lords on their asses, and Rath's going to assume they'd take care of any alarm we set. We're fine. Now stop whining and start smashing." Seth just growled. This wasn't quite what he planned when he left to try and help Sith out. But he shrugged. Technically, it would still work. He'd just have to roll with it. Taking out his rod, he began smashing it into a keypad with several small, yellow buttons. All he ended up doing was switching cameras, but eventually he caused the monitor to overload with commands. The screen began to smoke, and then it just stopped working. It felt rather anticlimactic to Seth, but Gilden just nodded with approval.

"Nice. Now she can't watch them even if she does catch us," he commented slyly, getting out of the seat. Then, in a display that Seth could only call extreme stupidity, Gilden picked up the chair and threw it right into the monitor Seth just killed. As if overloading it and causing its circuits to break wasn't enough. The chair crashed through the glass screen, and the velocity behind the powerful throw caused the cables supporting the heavy monitor to snap. The monitor fell with a heavy crash, denting the central control panel. Sparks of electricity flared up, and all Seth could do was glare at Gilden. That _really_ wasn't what he had planned at all.

"Are you an idiot!? We're supposed to disable this system, not destroy Aeroglyph!" Seth exclaimed in exasperation, "Do you have _any_ idea what Sith and the pharaoh will think if they _find_ this!?"

"They'll think we're geniuses," Gilden reasoned, as though that were the obvious answer. Seth just groaned, remembering just why he hated his job and everything entailed with it. Half the guards acted this way, too. Stepping back, he watched in pure amazement as Gilden began smashing the other two panels on either side. Immediately, the camera in one corner of the room sparked, and then crashed onto the floor. He heard a similar crash down the hall. And silently he wished Gilden would stop fooling around and get to bringing the wall down. The sooner Sith and Sceppiro were free, the sooner Rath's head would fly, and the sooner they could get out of here and return to their normal lives. Right then, normal sounded good to Seth.

"Just how many of her cameras are you going to break before you free Sith? Which is why _I came here in the first place_?" Seth asked after a third crash in the next room got his attention. Gilden merely continued grinning as the monitor, despite its broken state, tried to flicker back on. It barely worked. All Seth could see was an awkward angling of where Sith and Sceppiro were waiting. He guessed that the camera in their room had crashed, but hadn't yet broken. Gilden looked up, and when he saw this, a look of relief spread across his face. He had hoped there'd still be a way to see what was happening with them, just to be sure that he'd be able to get the wall down. Unfortunately, when he broke the monitor, all form of sound had been destroyed. They couldn't catch what it was Sith was currently saying. But she looked really stern.

"What could she be saying?" Seth asked, squinting his eyes. He was trying to read her lips, but she was speaking too fast. He frowned. Whatever it was, she wasn't happy. Likewise, Sceppiro frowned as she spoke, too. But Gilden was just laughing. He obviously knew what she was saying. He wiped a tear away, shaking his head. As it turned out, he explained to Seth, she was admonishing Sceppiro for his idea to try burrowing out of the cell. Seth didn't see just how that'd happen, anyway, since the floor was made of stone. Then again, both Sith and Sceppiro could turn into dragons, too. Dragons could probably tear stone up. Dragons could probably tear _lots_ of things up.

"All right, enough messing around," Gilden finally said with a hint of seriousness, "I think we'd better help them." Seth looked around the room, wondering just what they could use to help. Technically, they destroyed pretty much everything.

"How?" was all that Seth could ask. Gilden turned from the broken monitor to another panel. Miraculously, a few buttons managed to survive the onslaught Gilden brought upon them, and Seth wondered if he'd aimed his attacks for that reason or not. Gilden just grinned and pressed one that said 'open.' Unfortunately, nothing happened. Gilden's wing twitched, and he pressed it again, figuring he hadn't pressed with enough force. Still, nothing occurred. Now he just frowned. Clearly, he wasn't reading the button wrong; it just wasn't working. He must've destroyed it, after all.

"Well, that puts a bit of a damper on our plans," he commented, almost amused with himself. Except that he just screwed himself into a grave of treason and now there was nothing to show for it. Seth just turned to him flatly.

"Now what?" he snapped, not nearly as good-natured as the Esper was. Gilden just held up his index finger to show that he wasn't out just yet, and proceeded to smash every single button again, going on the logic that eventually, _one_ of them would be the right button and open the wall. Eventually, a loud whirring noise started up, and Seth jumped back. He'd never been exposed to machines, and he wasn't so sure what might've been happening. But then, he heard Sith's voice from the monitor.

'_What is that?_' he heard her asked, '_Atemu, sir, what's going on out there?_' Her voice sounded strangely different, almost as though it'd been scrambled up. But it was her. Likewise, she got a response as well.

'_We're not sure, knight Sith. It just started suddenly,_' came Atemu's equally distorted voice. Seth blinked, unable to understand why they could suddenly hear their friends. But Gilden seemed happy, so it couldn't have been anything bad. The green-haired Esper leaned back on the seat again, grinning as though this was what he planned from the very beginning.

"Good. Now we can talk to them when we finally break that wall," he stated, and when he noticed how confused Seth looked, he said, "I must've turned the sound down on the monitor when I went on my little rampage. Which means the radio probably works too. We can tell them where you are and what happened as soon as the wall crumbles." Seth's eyes widened nervously. He didn't want to tell Gilden that he had left _unnoticed_ and _without permission_, and he certainly didn't want Atemu to know he was gone, either. He understood just how Atemu got whenever _anyone_ left his court without permission.

"But… but the monitor," Seth stammered, deciding not to dwell on his insubordination for too long, "You massacred it! How did _anything_ survive!?"

"I guess our equipment's tougher than I thought," Gilden replied with a shrug. Seth wished he'd show a little more worry than he was, but that had to mean things were looking up. Then they heard a rumbling noise, and Seth felt the foundations of the castle shake. Terror-stricken at the thought that Rath might've found out what was going on, he dove under a table, holding onto one of the legs as the rumbling grew. He saw, in the monitor, that Sceppiro was affected similarly. Sith simply looked around in alarm, her sword already in her hand. Gilden just watched in bewilderment, but he didn't appear afraid of the tremors. Then, they heard a roar and a lot of gears crunching and screeching against each other. Seth covered his ears, wishing the noise would stop. He felt his head throb from it, and felt bad for the others down there. They were much worse off. But after a moment, it suddenly stopped. And then everyone began to cheer. Seth risked a look at the monitor. The wall had been broken!

"You did it!" Seth exclaimed in a whisper to Gilden, who was already searching for a radio, "They're safe!" Gilden just gave him the thumbs-up as he found the device in question. He clicked on a button.

"We have the wall broken, Lady Sith. We're coming for you soon," he said calmly, but rather than promote the cheering, everyone fell silent. Sith looked up toward where the camera _should_ have been. She lost all trace of jubilance with Gilden's voice.

"Who are you?" she demanded just as calmly, "Identify yourself to me."

"Relax. It's me, Gilden," he replied with a grin, "You know, childhood friend? Long-time ally? Possible suitor?" Seth simply glared at him. He was joking, but surely he knew that the _pharaoh_ wouldn't find it the least bit funny. Likewise, Sith seemed just as annoyed now. She sheathed her blade and crossed her arms, striding forward with absolute authority on the situation. Clearly, she knew Gilden quite well.

"Possible suitor? Don't make me laugh," she replied grimly, "What on earth are you doing? Where is Rath?" Gilden just waved her worry away, though.

"Not even here. Be thankful for once, Sith. I'm trying to help you," he stated easily, "Oh, and do you notice that Seth's not with you now?" Seth's mouth dropped open, and Atemu immediately turned to look over his army. Bakura had come back, and Scias was now with him, but he noticed that Gilden was right. Seth was no longer among them. When he looked to the camera questioningly, Gilden just said, "He's with me. Seems he decided to take matters into his own Egyptian hands." Seth twitched now. Just like that, Gilden dropped a nuclear bomb right on his career. He risked a glance to the monitor, and regretted it. Atemu was furious now.

"Seth…" Atemu began, characteristically slow, and then his voice howled with rage, "_HOW DARE YOU DEFY MY ORDERS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?_" Seth just shrunk back in fear. He had only heard Atemu get angry on a few occasions, and anyone that made him that mad usually regretted it. Again, that was Sith's fault; as Atemu's knight, she usually handled any problems he had. And her solution always ended up with a sword in someone's back. Seth didn't want to receive a sword in the back. But for once, she seemed to work against the pharaoh, for she placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He looked at his knight quizzically. It was rare for _her_ to stop his rage unless something was duly urgent.

"Sir, before you order his dismissal, let's hear what priest Seth has to say," Sith suggested, and Seth's mouth dropped again. He appreciated the very rare show of loyalty Sith was giving, but that also meant that he'd have to come up with a reason as to why he just ran off like that. And technically, he didn't have one. Sith turned to the camera and calmly asked, "What were you trying to do, priest Seth?"

"Um…" Seth's mind seemed to blank out at that point, "I was trying to break the wall down." Atemu didn't seem to believe that, but Sith looked mildly amused with it. She hid a snicker and turned to Atemu, this time whispering something to him that again, Seth couldn't hear. Gilden's lips thinned; he wasn't able to read her lips this time. After the brief exchange, Atemu nodded gruffly, and crossed his arms. Whatever she had said to him, it hadn't lessened his annoyance. But Seth had confidence that this time, he wouldn't be fired. Yet.

"Admirable courage, but you have a poor lack of judgment," Sith commented, waving a hand, "Especially to team up with Gilden. He's by far the most notorious among us, and he's caused severe havoc, Seth. Tell me you did nothing to attract unneeded attention." Seth's eyes widened and his mouth froze in an awkward smile. _Now_ he was in serious trouble. Gilden pretty much _ensured_ that Rath would know someone broke into her office and her security room. He didn't even need to speak for Sith to know just what happened. She shook her head and said, "I thought as much."

"Are we screwed!?" Bakura asked, as Atemu glanced at the knight, knowing something was wrong but unsure of how Sith knew. Seth wasn't even with them, but she seemed to be reading his expression regardless.

"Not yet, but we will be if we don't move it," Sith told him, and turned back to the camera, "Gilden, where the hell are you two?"

"Third floor, security room," Gilden replied easily, with a grin. How he could remain so calm, when he knew that one king and a very powerful knight were probably going to throttle him, was beyond Seth. But he didn't even seem remotely worried about Sith's condescending tone. She looked to Bakura, and the two nodded. They'd be the ones to lead the raid upward. But Seth quickly had other plans. His mind hadn't strayed from the captive Espers on the second floor.

"Wait!" he called, just as Sith and Bakura were about to leave, "There are Espers locked in the audience chamber. I'm going to free them."

"Then we'll meet you there," Sith replied, and to her guards, she called, "Move out!" Seth heard a chorus of cheers as she and Bakura rushed to the front, Scias, Sceppiro, and Atemu behind them. Seth had no choice but to agree. Not that it was a bad thing. Being amidst the guards, with both Sith and Bakura's fighting prowess, was a comfort he needed. He looked to the green-haired Esper, who switched off the monitors and stood up. Without speaking, they both knew they had to head down quickly now. Seth headed into the hall as Gilden turned out the meager light in the room. Then he too left, kicking the head of one of the corpses as he left.

Because he had no idea where anything within the castle would lie, Seth relieved leadership to Gilden once again. The Esper had no trouble at all, though the corridors seemed to twist and turn endlessly again. Seth had no idea if the castle was naturally constructed as such, but he made a mental note to suggest to Sceppiro to get the place remodeled. They passed numerous doors, but Gilden made no move to enter a single one. He focused on the road before them. And Seth was just as content to follow. They passed another hall, and then down a large flight of stairs. Slowly, things began to look familiar now that they were on the second floor. The walls were painted with gold once again, with that familiar red stripe in the center. Seth allowed himself to relax a little.

"Did the other Espers say anything when you spoke with them?" Gilden asked, as their run slowed to a leisurely walk. Seth didn't feel that anything should be done leisurely, but he didn't argue the point. He simply nodded to answer the man's question.

"They're all trying to get out to see Sith," the priest replied cautiously, "But why would Rath abduct them? Were they important?"

"My guess is they're stragglers who couldn't get out of the castle in time to help," Gilden said firmly, his face turning grim, "Things went hectic when Sith came to rally us all, but Rath had time to lock up a few people. The question is whether they're still in the audience chamber." Seth glanced at him, and frowned. Gilden wasn't grinning now. Whatever calm he did have fled when they left the security room.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Seth asked, and stopped abruptly. He had a feeling Gilden learned something that was far worse than being caught in the room. Likewise, Gilden stopped alongside him. The man's red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"You never know if they'd broken out or not," Gilden merely said, and continued on. Seth blinked, trying to figure out what the Esper meant with his words, but no meaning came to the young priest's mind. He shrugged it away. Gilden didn't seem like the type to let anything overly deadly slip his grasp, and Seth certainly didn't want to stay behind to ponder the man's words. He ran to catch up, though Gilden wasn't far away at that point. But something about his gait nagged at Seth, as though a constant alarm was going off in his head that spelled danger. As if Aeroglyph itself didn't cause such an alarm.

By the time it'd taken Gilden to lead himself and Seth to the doors of the audience chamber, Atemu and Bakura were already waiting with half of their army. Seth saw that neither Sith nor Sceppiro were with them, and that most of the Espers were missing, too. It made him curious, but he figured they were somewhere else for a specific reason. So, he simply walked over. Karim and Mahaado smiled warmly, and clapped him on the back when he came over. Obviously, they were both glad he made it through safely. Likewise, he was happy to be back, too. The bigger priest just grinned.

"Good job, priest Seth," Karim said proudly, "I didn't think you'd actually succeed, but you saved Sith." Seth smiled sheepishly, chuckling as he heard Bakura and Atemu speaking with Gilden.

"Likewise, I couldn't have done it if you had told the pharaoh I left against orders," Seth replied, and then remembered that he saw Karim speaking with Atemu about something earlier, "…what _were_ you talking to him about, anyway? He looked really upset." Karim blinked, wondering when Seth was speaking of. Then it hit him; he was asking about the man's last report. He snapped his fingers.

"Oh, that. Seems there was an Esper who fell into the basement corridors," the big priest replied casually, "Bakura went off to search for him. I had to report that nothing was found yet, but that the evidence of danger was still strong. We didn't want an ambush down here, especially with three of our four leaders cut off." Seth didn't blame him for that. He wasn't sure of Scias's strength, but he had no doubt that an Esper could probably take Bakura down. He _knew_ an Esper could kill Atemu if need be. And then Sith and Sceppiro would've been easy enough; gas would've killed them, and Rath wasn't above that at all. He looked around the hall again, wondering just where the two Espers had gone to. They still hadn't come up, and he couldn't hear anything below, either.

"Where _are_ the Winchesters, anyway?" he asked incredulously. Karim bit his lip, and Seth noted that both priests seemed hesitant to answer him. Something had to have happened on their way up. He pressed the question again, and this time, Atemu turned to answer him. He sounded on the verge of panic, too.

"Two opposing Esper lords found us," the pharaoh replied, "Sith and Sceppiro are fighting them." Seth silently cursed. He knew _exactly_ who those lords were, too. Especially since he was the one who sent them bouncing down the stairs. How they even regained consciousness was something Sith didn't understand. How Falnika even lived with Martus crushing her was something he would _never_ understand. But he knew they were powerful enough. He asked to go and help, but Bakura intervened by saying, "Sith told us not to handle it."

"Why the hell would she ask _that_?" Gilden demanded angrily, his brows creasing. Bakura turned back to him, undaunted by the anger in the man's voice. Clearly, Sith had a very good reason. Or perhaps she was just stupid. Seth snorted, not knowing which one was actually true; Sith messed up nearly as much as he had. But she normally got herself out of trouble, too.

"She said something about sending a message to Rath," Bakura explained, "Something along the lines of 'don't fuck with me,' and using her minions to relay that message." Gilden's eyes simply widened. That was a pretty bold message, especially since she was fighting _two_ lords at once. Even Atemu seemed unconvinced of her victory, and if anyone vouched for her, it _was_ him. Seth just shook his head, however. He wasn't too surprised at her reasoning. In her mind, killing two lords with one sword would definitely scare Rath, even if it didn't drive her off. But it was still a stupid move. It'd probably get her killed.

"Relay what message!? That she's a moron?" Seth blurted out, and when everyone glared at him, he said, "Look, I trust the good knight, but she's not going to win. We have to go and help her before we lose one of our best. If she dies, who the hell's going to protect us when it counts!?" Atemu's glare went flat, and Bakura just snorted. The irony of Seth's exclamation was humorous. Seth was normally the one who needed _her_ help, not the other way around. The priest moved to storm the stairs to the first floor, but Bakura quickly stopped him, and two guards from Sith's squad crossed their spears in a blocking attempt. Seth just glared angrily at them all and asked, "What on earth!?"

"If you go down there, she's going to kill you," Bakura growled, his eyes gaining a fury Seth knew he shouldn't cross, "She'll be fine. She wants us to release these hostages and then we're probably going to pull most of our forces out." Seth's eyes just widened again. _That_ order really made no sense. Why bother bringing everyone if they were going to be sent away? Seth asked that heatedly, and Bakura calmly answered with, "This way Rath won't have as many targets. We brought them with the thought that most of the lords were against us. Now, that's just not so."

"With so much inner support, we don't need to risk the lives of the villagers or the novices," Atemu continued, crossing his arms, "Rath has little to no support left, and Sith's battling that support now. When she wins, Rath won't have a place to even run to. She's out of options, and we can breathe easier." Seth just looked back at the pharaoh. He couldn't disagree with those statements, but the fact that Atemu already knew Sith would win scared the priest a little. If he was wrong, they'd suffer badly, and they'd have three lords to battle instead of one. And they wouldn't have Sith _or_ Sceppiro. Those were heavy risks that Sith was taking.

"You have that much confidence in her," Seth stated, and Atemu said nothing, "Then I agree. Let's get these innocents out and then send the weaker forces back to Cyd and Saimun." He gestured to Gilden, who was the one who actually had the key. The Esper nodded, and strode to the double-doors, putting the key into the lock. They heard a faint click, and then the door swung open. Light spilled from the audience chamber as the last few rays of sunlight sunk low, bathing the room in an orange haze. But when Gilden walked inside, what he was greeted with was… nothing. There was no one within the room; all that stood in there were two thrones. Seth noticed that Gilden had stopped, and looked around in sheer confusion. Something was wrong here.

"There's no one in here!" Gilden cried, as Bakura, Atemu, and several armed soldiers ran inside, "Seth, are you _sure_ you heard someone!?" Seth glanced at both Karim and Mahaado, but both priests were just as dumbfounded as he was. They ran into the chamber next, and were greeted with the same scene.

"My mind's clear as the crystals in this castle!" Seth declared in frustration, "Did they break out!?" Unfortunately, the windows were completely sealed, and there were no cracks in the wall that signified there was a break-out. Two guards examined the back wall, where two doors sat to either side. But they soon came back, shaking their heads and murmuring until they reached Atemu. One bowed low.

"No one has been in here, sir. The windows and doors were all locked," the guard stated. Seth's skin paled. That just couldn't be right. He _knew_ he heard other people here. But clearly, the room was empty. He looked around frantically, trying to find something to prove his story. His eyes fell on Gilden again. The man had gone stiff, and Seth followed his gaze. It was right toward another camera, but this one had been shut off. Seth frowned. That meant they hadn't even been able to look in this room when they were in the security room. That would've proved there were prisoners… or _weren't_. Seth's eyes widened as he began to realize just what actually happened. It was awfully strange to turn the camera off when you had prisoners. And that was because there _were none_.

"We've been tricked!" Seth called in alarm, and everyone turned to him as he exclaimed, "The camera! It's been turned off! Why would she turn off a camera that recorded her prisoners?" Bakura blinked, and then rushed over to the camera himself. One throw of a knife took it off its cables, and he examined it carefully. Seth was right. It had been shut off. And Bakura knew why that was, too. Rath didn't want them to see this room. She _planned_ on them breaking into the security room. She probably even planned to have Sith and Sceppiro into the castle at all!

"Everyone, out!" the thief shouted, pointing to the door as he smashed the camera, "Quickly!" No one understood just what the cause for alarm was, but no one questioned. They all turned to leave, but the army was so large for such a small room, it took some time to get them all moving. And right as the first few hit the door, a huge ball of flames smashed into the wall, sending shards of the stone frame everywhere. People screamed at the assault, and then the ranks of the army were scattered as everyone pushed to try and get out faster. Guards pushed toward the front to find the attacker, but by this point, the hall was in chaos. Espers who had come up to aid their human friends were sent flying into the army by magic, and humans were pushing to get away from the enchanted castle. Vampires were already leaping over the banister to get to the front door, but the comets of fire kept raining on the walls. It didn't take anyone long to understand what was going on. _They_ had been ambushed.

"Damn it, we're screwed!" Gilden exclaimed, as the audience chamber slowly thinned, "Do we stay or do we run?"

"As if we have a damned choice," Bakura spat, readying two daggers, "We fight. Let's hope we're strong enough for this." Seth stared at the thief. There was no way in hell any of them could hope to fend Rath off, and they couldn't ask Bahamut or Tiamat for help, either. The two dragons would have to get everyone else back. And who even knew if Sith and Sceppiro were still alive. With the army as it was, they were nearly defenseless, and only a few of the remaining could actually fight. Rath really did plan this part perfectly. It was almost funny how little it took to cause disarray to the army.

"What about Knight Sith!?" one of the soldiers behind them asked, "Could she not fight!?"

"We don't even know if she's alive," Seth replied grimly, eyes narrowing as he continued to look toward the doors. By now, most of the army was making its way downstairs, and hopefully to safety. In the throng of chaos, Martus and Falnika had to be distracted, and perhaps it'd give the villagers a chance to escape. But it might also have been what caused Sith and Sceppiro's demise, too. The problem was that no one knew where they were.

"We should look for her," Mahaado suggested, but Seth just snorted. The entire castle was being bombarded in flames. Just how could they search for Sith in those conditions!? Unfortunately, many of the remaining soldiers and Espers agreed. And neither Bakura nor Atemu could dissuade them. Sith was their commander, after all. Her men were loyal to a fault, even in the face of death. In the end, Atemu was forced to allow it. Even if it amounted to Sith being found dead, at least then they'd know they had little chance to stop Rath. Espers escorted Sith's men down out of the hall once the decision was made. And that was precisely when the biggest explosion hit them.

The last explosion of magic was by far the worst. The stone structure of the double doors shattered on impact, and Seth heard glass from all over break and crash into the walls. The targets, the brave men who went to find their beloved leader, didn't survive. Even beyond the smell of their cooking flesh, Seth knew this. And he also knew many of the people downstairs were probably killed in the blast as well. He didn't even want to consider that Sith was no longer alive now. And now, as the rumbles died, they saw the full effect of the massive flames. Tapestries had gone up in smoke, and they could hear the fountain crackling downstairs, as though it were one large, fiery pit. The smell was a mixture of burning hair, skin, and furniture. And a red haze seemed to fall all around the castle. Embers flew in all direction, adding a level of terror to the devastation, as though walking just one step ensured the person's death. Bakura was the first to make a move.

"_RATH!_" he called. Seth put a hand on his back, and felt the man tremble. He wasn't just angry; the man was terrified. In just a few minutes, their army had been reduced to nothing. As if to answer him, Rath appeared through the doorway. The brightness of the fire silhouetted her form, but her eyes remained golden, the only feature of hers they could see.

"Welcome to my inferno," she said calmly, crossing her arms, "Not how I wanted to end this, but this ensures my victory."

"How the hell can this be winning if the castle's in flames!?" Karim demanded hotly, his hand closing on the Millennium Scales. Not that he could actually hurt her with them, but they gave the big man some comfort. Then Rath's next words stole that comfort away.

"When did I ever say I wanted Aeroglyph?" she asked, and Bakura could tell from her tone that the woman was grinning. Karim's anger faded, and quickly turned to absolute horror. She _didn't_ want Aeroglyph. This was never about the kingdom at all. It was no wonder now why she hadn't completely obliterated Egypt when she had the chance. She saw Karim's look and said, "That's right. You know, don't you?"

"You just wanted to kill Sith," he stated, and she nodded, "And you succeeded, didn't you!?" Rath didn't answer. She merely stood there, watching them. She didn't need to attack now. The castle was burning, and they couldn't escape. All she had to do was wait there. Bakura's arm twitched, but Atemu kept a hold on his cloak. Attacking her would do no good. They all waited for someone else to speak now, but it was clear Rath wasn't going to give them answers. Bakura couldn't take it. He threw a knife, missing her entirely. But he had caused Atemu to release him. He stepped forward, aiming his second knife.

"_ANSWER US!_" he screamed, "Is Sith dead!?"

"What does it matter?" she retorted, never losing her calm, "Even if she's alive, all I must do is stand here and she will be dead soon enough. Then Nesce will be no more, and you will be defenseless before me."

"You'll die, too!" Atemu pointed out angrily. But Seth noticed that such a fact didn't scare Rath. Her smile nearly grew. She didn't fear her death, no matter how apparent it was. Why the hell was she so calm about it!?

"You are wrong, pharaoh," she said, and her voice began to turn venomous, "I will live, but you all are a different story. For these flames won't hurt all who have embraced the power of Oblivion! Now bow down, in your last moments of life, bow down to me! Bow and let me hear you sc…" The ground underneath Rath suddenly gave way, and she screamed psychotically, her wings fluttering as she saw the tip of a purple sword making its way to her neck. Bakura, Atemu, and Seth ran back, dragging Mahaado, Karim, and Gilden with them as the ground crumbled away, until the entrance hall below was exposed. Rath was forced into the air before she dropped. And that was just the opening Sith needed for her next, and last strike.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, after disabling the security system, Seth realizes too late that their ambush has already been planned and that Rath fully expected them to go to their lengths to find her. Thinking they were trapped, she advanced upon them, bringing a wrath of fiery hatred with her. But will her assumption of Sith's demise cause her own downfall? Are there any survivors to Atemu's force? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	27. Last Ditch Efforts

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he's glad Seth's not a total asshole.

One last strike. That was what Sith needed in order to give them all the time they needed to run out of the room. Seth saw it in her eyes for the split second he saw _her_. She looked back at him knowingly, and it were as though he could understand what she was thinking. All he could do was agree; they'd be utterly useless in a fight anyway. He turned, and tugged on Mahaado's arm, hoping that the other priest understood, too. But, he was wrong. Mahaado just looked at him, half horrified, half perplexed, and he certainly didn't make a move to… well, move. And at that moment, Seth really wished he would.

"Where are you trying to go?" Mahaado asked, and both Atemu and Bakura turned. Unlike Mahaado, however, they didn't look nearly as understanding. They seemed to think he was abandoning Sith. He sighed heavily, and stopped momentarily. As little time as they had, if they didn't move, they'd have no time period. He had to let them know what had to be done or they'd stay just to die beside Sith. Like the sheep and their shepherd, of course.

"We have to get out," Seth replied, "We needed time. Sith's giving us that time. Let's not waste it in vain." He saw that Rath narrowly escaped being skewered by Sith's sword, but killing wasn't yet Sith's intention. For now, she was stalling. But she couldn't stall forever. And unfortunately, Atemu wasn't crediting her thoughts. Mainly because he couldn't read them.

"I'll not leave my friend in jeopardy!" the pharaoh declared, brows creasing, "Not when it was my kingdom that this was waged in. I plan to fight!"

"Great pharaoh, we have no time!" Seth stressed, knowing that now he was just pushing Sith's luck. He could hear her sword ringing as it collided with another weapon, possibly another sword. But this time, that second sword was in Rath's hands. "Can we not leave this once!?" Atemu wasn't the most able king, but Seth had to admit he did have loyalty and dedication. The young king simply shook his head firmly. Just like so many other doomed idiots previous.

"I said I plan to fight!" he repeated, his voice even louder. Seth heard Sith groan in pain, and knew she'd taken a hit. If he planned to help her at all, he'd have to infuriate everyone into leaving now. He pitched their last chance on this one insult. And if it was enough to get him fired, he'd deal with it later. If they even lived to fire him.

"Don't be a damned idiot! We're not doing that!" Seth exclaimed, and for a short while, silence seemed to fall around them. The battle raging just feet away seemed distant to them, most of whom were shocked that Seth would say such a thing. Atemu's mouth had nearly dropped. To insult him so! Seth really _would_ be lucky if he lived. Seth wasted no time. As Sith nicked at one of Rath's large wings, causing her to tilt and lose her balance, Seth grabbed Atemu's arm and dragged him away. The priests seemed completely unable to grasp what had happened, but Bakura had caught on. It was a clever idea, though he knew Seth had taken a good risk by doing it. Seth very possibly just saved Atemu's life. And with Gilden's help, Bakura herded the other priests out of the room after them. That left Sith to battle with Rath. And to hopefully win.

The blaze of the inferno was nearly unbearable as Seth dragged the unwilling king with him, heading across the balconies overlooking the large entry chamber below. There was no mistaking that many of their forces had been lost; already he could see corpses littering the floor below, and he saw them on the second floor as well. How many they lost, he didn't bother to count. He simply prayed they had some survivors out of doors. After all, the front doors had been opened. Someone had to have escaped. At least, he hoped.

He finally reached the grand staircases that led down to the first floor, and was horrified by the number of bodies strewn on the steps, their blood saturating the rugs and tiles in ghastly combinations of red, purple, and blue. But he couldn't stop to make a full count. With Atemu still struggling to escape his grasp, and knowing Bakura was right behind with the others, Seth went down the stairs. He winced as he went; he recognized too many of the faces he was forced to behold. Similarly, he could see it affecting Atemu, Karim, and Mahaado as well. Even Bakura felt sick from the sight, and Gilden simply offered the briefest of condolences. But still, they had to press on. They reached the last stair, and finally they stood fully in the entrance hall. The statue had been completely eradicated by the fire. Not even the massive paws of the great Fenrir remained, most of the body having been reduced to cinders, the fountain reduced to nothing more than a flaming pit.

"The statue!" Gilden exclaimed in terror, "My god, she broke the statue!" He knelt down, picking a handful of cinder up. It made his dark skin seem pale in comparison. "How… how can this be? Only the most vile of magic could ever dispel Fenrir's power!"

"Let's go before we're the next target of that magic," Bakura growled, looking up at the ceiling. Or lack of it. Directly above the statue was where Sith had entered from, and even here, they could see the battle being waged. Both women wielded their swords with superb skill, dodging and striking in a mystical dance that was nearly impossible to see. Whether either was hurt was irrelevant. Seth knew they both most probably suffered injuries, but they'd see who lived only when the dance finally slowed. And it looked like that would be far off indeed. Seth frowned, turning to everyone again. This time, he couldn't be deterred. He _would_ be listened to.

"Do you see now? We haven't much time before someone loses. Let's go before we all die," he said sternly, his eyes flickering orange in the fire, "Let's not let Sith's life be in vain." Atemu stopped struggling, realizing he hadn't thought of that when they first made their escape. Indeed, all he had thought of was what Seth had said regarding his mental ability. But now he began to see what Seth was really trying to do. It had stunned him just enough to be dragged out with no resistance. He looked up at the fight that refused to die down. Then he wondered something that should've worried him sooner. Sith was there, but where on earth was Sceppiro? He turned to Seth.

"What of Sceppiro Winchester?" he asked, and Seth froze. Sceppiro was every bit as important as Sith, but no one knew his whereabouts, nor had anyone gone to look. His lips pursed. Someone had to stay and find him, and Seth knew he should do it. Mahaado and Karim were direly needed for healing, and Atemu shouldn't stay where he would die. Gilden probably wouldn't stay, either, from how he had spoken of the Esper king earlier. That left Seth or Bakura. Or perhaps Seth _and_ Bakura. They nodded. Much like when he felt that moment of connection with Sith, he now felt it with the thief as well. They knew they were the only ones who could stay and see this through. Seth turned to the other two priests, his brows creased in determination for what must be done.

"Take the pharaoh and escape back to the ships," he stated, "Bakura and I will stay and find Sceppiro." Mahaado opened his mouth to protest, but Karim stopped him with a shake of his head. He pointed up to where the battle still raged on. Sith wasn't looking so good now. Mahaado frowned. Someone would need to help her as well. He took a deep breath. Then he nodded, clasping Seth's hand.

"We'll see you soon, fellow priest," Mahaado said, and Seth nodded. Then the two priests turned and helped Atemu off, who gave only the briefest of waves before hearing a column behind him crack to pieces. Then he turned, and the three of them fled, Gilden following to help open the doors. Seth watched through the rippling fire. Then he turned back toward the fountain. Sceppiro had to be somewhere. And he had to find him.

The fires, though slowly dying as time went on, quickly proved to be the biggest obstacle as Seth and Bakura tried to maneuver through the large entrance hall. Much of the front hall's foundation had collapsed, bringing with it the embers from the spell that had destroyed it, fueling the fire onwards. The crystal walls didn't help to quench it, either; it merely reflected the heat further, throwing shadows that looked like parts of the fire themselves. Seth had a particularly difficult time telling one from the other, and the search started out slowly, going only slower as they moved. The only good thing was that they could see relatively well. Sceppiro was nowhere near the fountain.

The fight above them proved to be a formidable distraction, too. Not only were the clangs of both swords invariably loud, reflecting off the walls as much as the heat, the flashes of light caught from the fire by their blades kept blinding both men, neither knowing when to expect it. They also heard each woman speak at different points, but what they spoke, neither could decipher. It was in the Esper language, or so they assumed. Bakura only wished he knew; he was sure Rath was taunting Sith. But Seth had more faith in the knight. She had taken worse than that, though he had to admit seeing her kingdom destroyed may distract her, as well. But when he looked up to see how she fared, she glanced down only for a second. He felt that connection again. He had to keep searching.

Moving farther from the fountain, Seth looked along one of the nooks that held a statue of Sith's father. It was well-sheltered. If Sceppiro was injured, he may have hidden there. Except that he wasn't there. All Seth found was another corpse, this one of another vampire who had died in the raging inferno, his sensitive skin unable to handle the bright light. He backed away, and at Bakura's questioning stare, he shook his head. They would have no luck there. Bakura just sighed. Sceppiro really could be anywhere within the castle. The problem would be avoiding the fire to get to him. Or his corpse. There was still the ever-lingering occurrence that he was dead.

"Where do we go next?" Bakura asked him, as they stalked away from the nook, heading toward the other side. Seth, in honesty, didn't know how he could answer. They were basically looking for a needle in a haystack. But he had to do something. He pointed toward another dark corner, blocked off by a stone pillar that had fallen and slid on its side. There was no fire from it; Sceppiro would be safe, if he was there.

"Check there," he replied, "I'm going to see if I can get to the upper floors." Bakura had gone forward, but stopped immediately at that notion. He highly doubted Sceppiro was there, and there'd be only one other reason to head up to the second floor. He looked at Seth carefully, judgingly. He knew what Seth would be planning.

"Do not interfere," he said warningly, "Come help me." Seth just sighed. He was going to help Sith, yes, but he also was curious to see if somehow, Sceppiro had gotten to the second floor. It wouldn't have been impossible, but it _was_ highly unlikely. He had to concede that fact. Sighing, he followed Bakura to the corner he had pointed out just a moment before. It was infinitely cooler as they approached; the fire didn't appear to be able to penetrate the shadows, much less drive them away completely. Seth found that to be rather odd to see. Bakura grimly took a step forward, taking a torch off the nearby pillar. It lit only a few feet forward.

"Anything?" Seth whispered, looking behind the thief's shoulder. Bakura's eyes narrowed. There was nothing there, of course, but he did notice the shadows gave off an oppressive feeling, as though if he were to set foot in it, he would be trapped for eternity in that corner, unable to leave or even see out. He turned to the priest gravely.

"Nothing physical, if that's what you mean," he replied. Seth just tilted his head curiously. "The shadows are giving off a very interesting feel." Unfortunately, that only confused Seth further. He stepped forward and placed his hand into the shadows. And immediately, he reached away. His hand felt ice cold, even though the fire should've easily dispersed such temperature.

"What in the seven levels of hell!?" the priest exclaimed, brows creasing as he stared at the flames, "It's cold as the winds of Nesce!"

"If we were even in Nesce, I'm sure Sith would've said that they _are_ the very winds of it," Bakura replied, almost amused with the comparison. Then he became more grave, "But since we are not… this is particularly disturbing."

"What do you think it is?" Seth asked, glancing at the older thief quizzically, "Magic?" Bakura had no doubt of that; Aeroglyph itself was made of magic, and the castle couldn't have been an exception. But what form of magic was what worried him. Only a few could produce a shadow so thick. And the Esper magic wasn't one of them. He sighed and looked up at Sith. She was still exchanging quick blows, but he noticed her parries became slower, less precise. She was tiring quickly, but Rath was more than a match for her counters. They had little time. He turned from the shadow, and spotted Sceppiro across the hall. He had been half buried in the slight shadows of the looming staircases. Quickly, Bakura took Seth's arm and dragged him toward the fallen king.

"This way!" was all he shouted when Seth put up even the tiniest bit of resistance. Seth looked, and as they neared, saw that Sceppiro was badly injured. One of the man's wings had snapped off, and there was blood on his coat. But he was alive. He was breathing, albeit raggedly. Seth knelt as Bakura picked up a large chunk of the banister that had fallen and heaved it away. Sceppiro's skin felt cold despite the fires around them.

"Damn it, we're going to lose him," Seth growled, trying to remember the words reserved only for the strongest of healing spells. But they wouldn't come. In the moments of fear that were blooming all around, the priest couldn't remember a single word! He cursed again, wishing he had the scrolls with him this time. Sceppiro wouldn't respond to a lesser spell, and they couldn't move him too much without causing further harm. But they had to do something or he _would_ die. Then what would Sith have left to fight for? Bakura turned and looked at the king. He didn't have much time, either.

"Do you have any potions or tinctures?" the thief asked, but unfortunately, Seth didn't carry such things on him. Not when they could shatter in the matter of a second. Bakura sighed. Then he looked up at Sith again. He didn't want to know how badly she was hurt, either. Seth knew no spells that could be used… but she did. She was their chance to save Sceppiro, but she was still contending with Rath. Bakura looked at Seth and said, "We have to get Sith to heal him!" The priest just looked up at him, brow raised.

"First you tell me not to help her and now you're saying we need to get her? Make your mind, thief!" Seth exclaimed shortly. Bakura stood up, looking up through the hole in the ceiling. As he did, he saw another chunk of it give way. If Rath didn't kill Sith, the ceiling just might.

"I told you not to interfere because it'd be stupid and wouldn't help her," Bakura told him quickly, grimly, "But now it's a different story. Without her brother, Sith has no reason to fight for her kingdom. It's all but crumbled now. This is for her as well as for us." Seth considered that. Sceppiro would definitely find a way to help them all, but would they even have the time to get up there and help Sith out? Judging by the state of the ceiling, by which another fiery chunk was laid to waste, they had little. He turned to Bakura and nodded.

"Then let's get our asses up there and help her out," the priest replied. Neither wasted time. Making sure that Sceppiro would be safe from harm, they laid him in a corner where little heat would get to him, yet they could still see him. Then they both made for the stairs, Bakura jumping three at a time as Seth climbed the perilous rise. Many of the stairs sagged as stones from pillars and walls alike were smashed along them, and the carpets kept the embers from the fire alive. But as they rose, the smoke thinned. At least they knew Sith wouldn't be distracted by inhalation. Or die by it, either.

Bakura took the lead when they reached the top step. It took one jump to clear the landing, and another leap to clear the banister, and he finally stood in the doorway of the audience chamber. It was the mightiest battlefield he had ever witnessed; even hell would be hard-pressed to compete. The fires burned brightest within that room, so much that everything, save for the two mighty forces of power themselves, were aflame. He could smell the burning stone, the cinder, the melting of crystal as their swords clashed, flashing to reflect each wave of a single flame. And he could see, above else, the red tint the fires lent. It brightened the room, including the horrible fight that was ensuing.

Sith wasn't doing well, either. Bakura saw at once that her right arm had been struck, hanging uselessly by her side as she tried her best to parry and strike with only her left hand. But her sword was just too long for her now. Her movements were slow, almost sloppy. It was only her agility that allowed her to evade each swipe of Rath's unholy blade. And even that hadn't been enough to save her right arm. Finally, her wings began to grow sore. This was becoming too much for even her, even the knight of the pharaoh. Even the queen of Nesce. She landed, practically kneeling in exhaustion as she panted for oxygen. In this damned heat, oxygen was merely a luxury. She had no strength to quench the flames.

"Had enough, little cousin?" Rath asked her, descending too quickly for Sith to say but a word. The woman's only response was a shattering clang as she put up her sword for deflection. And with just one hand, it wasn't enough. The blade went flying from Sith's fingers, and fell through the hole, to the floor below. Rath laughed as she said, "You're nearly done."

"Do not _ever_ underestimate me again," Sith growled, though she knew Rath's words held more than a spark of truth to them, "My family's power is more than that of any Esper. You were a fool to try and kill us all."

"Are you forgetting we share the same blood?" Rath asked her, almost mocking as she said, "The same blood that killed your mother and father? And the same blood that will spill from your brother's veins as well?"

"_YOU ARE NOT MY FAMILY!_" Sith roared in response, strength renewed with anger as she leapt up, "You are a traitor! A murderer! And when you die, rest assured that I will personally send your ashes scattering to the farthest planes of Oblivion! You _will_ rue the day you opened Oblivion up!" For all her speed, however, Sith was powerless. Without a sword, she couldn't even touch Rath. Rath laughed hysterically, batting the woman aside without so much as a sweat to her brow.

"Oh, will I?" she countered, and laughed, "I should think not. When Oblivion takes this world, I will rid myself of you, as well as those dragons!" Sith halted. She hadn't considered that at all. Now it made more sense, why she hadn't attacked them for so long. She wasn't afraid of them; she was waiting for them all to gather. To slaughter them, just as she would a pack of sheep. Sith's eye twitched.

"So then it is true. There are evil Espers," she whispered, but Bakura had a feeling she wasn't speaking to Rath, "Evil… exists in our race. For all of this time, I wanted to believe you mad. I prayed you were. But you are not. You are evil."

"She just figured that out?" Seth whispered, but Bakura nudged him to keep his mouth closed. Sith's eyes hardened as she stared at her cousin, and Bakura felt vibrations stir all around them, as though the castle itself was closing in from her hatred. He had never felt such a powerful emotion from Sith before.

"You are evil," Sith repeated, and then her voice became unnaturally loud, "_YOU ARE EVIL!!_" Bakura didn't know how those words affected Rath, but they did. Her face distorted into chaos, as she screamed, lunging at Sith. Sith flew to the side, grabbing her sword as she forced herself into a roll to brace the crash to the floor. Rath skidded, and dove the opposite way. Sith was faster still, and leapt off the walls in time. They collided in a flurry of sword attacks, steel ringing out in all directions as they went on in new fury. Bakura and Seth backed away, knowing they could be caught if they didn't.

"What is happening!?" Seth demanded harshly, as Rath let out another scream, "What did Sith do!?"

"You feel it too?" Bakura asked, and when Seth nodded, he said, "She uncovered the truth to Rath. There was no excuse, no empathy, and no emotion when she said it. She uncovered it plainly to Rath. So much so that there was no way to deny it." Seth looked down at Sith. She didn't even flinch as Rath came at her, even as she was forced to parry with her injured arm. All he heard was a grunt of effort, but Sith didn't slow. Seth just smiled. _That_ was truly what a knight was made of. Determination. And she was more than determined to win.

"Think it shook Rath up enough for her to lose?" the priest asked with a grin. But Bakura wasn't as joyous for the radical pace. In fact, Seth saw the thief now looked more grim than ever. It caused his own smile to fade rapidly. Bakura knew something.

"The opposite. I'm quite sure it's fueled her to try and kill Sith even quicker now," the thief replied darkly, "Poor girl's already injured. If her other arm tires, she's through." Seth realized with terror that Bakura was right. And even worse, the two had gone _downward_, where the fire was ever stronger. Where neither thief nor priest could aid Sith. Seth cursed, and turned to head out the door. As much as he disliked Sith, he refused to let it end with her death. Bakura rushed to try and stop him, but Seth was too fast. He was already rushing down the steps as Bakura came out into the hall. Bakura just cursed. Now was _not_ the time for Seth to show his loyalty or morality, so of course the priest would choose to help Sith out at that time.

"Rath, come and fight _us_!" Seth yelled as he reached the bottom step. But his voice was drowned out, the two women fighting with a speed he could have only dreamed to accomplish. Still, Rath had heard him. At the very least, she saw him, and she broke from Sith. Sith froze, confused as to why Rath would suddenly abandon the battle. Then, she too saw Seth. Her mouth dropped open. Rath was diving right for him, sword tip aimed for his heart. And she was in no position to even be able to help him.

"_NO!_" she screamed, flying after her cousin. But her wings seemed to move just so slowly! For every foot she went, Rath sped up another two. Tears came to Sith's eyes. If she didn't do something, Seth would be killed. "_PRIEST SETH, RUN!_" But Seth didn't run. As Rath neared, he smiled, and right when she was upon him, he dove to the side in a sharp roll. The velocity with which Rath went took her too far; she smashed into the banister and tumbled headfirst into the wall before she could even slow herself down.

Bakura heard the crash and came running as fast as he could down the stairs, jumping the banister where Rath had completely destroyed it. But to his relief, as he hit the floor, he saw Sith was perfectly fine. Perhaps not so; she had many injuries and her right hand was utterly limp. But she was alive and well. Seth had tumbled and had made himself dizzy with his maneuver, but he survived. And he managed to daze Rath, too. As Bakura turned and saw Rath half-sticking out of a wall, he just laughed. The priest was just as crafty as he, in his own way.

"Well, now, that's a move I'd make!" the thief exclaimed proudly, as Seth stood. The two clasped each other's hand in greeting, and then Bakura turned and nodded to Sith, smiling, "Glad to see you both are well. I'd hate to be the pharaoh, should neither of you have made it."

"That was a bigger risk than necessary, boys," Sith commented, though not ungratefully, "For a second, I was worried she may just kill both of you." Bakura looked away and blushed in embarrassment, but Seth just snorted, rolling his eyes as he stepped toward her.

"You seem to think that just because I'm a priest, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to a fight," he said, both amused and offended at the same time. Sith merely regarded him with narrowed eyes. Her mouth turned in a mocking sort of smile.

"That would be because most of the time, you don't," she reminded him flatly. Then she sheathed her blade, turning to look up at the giant hole she had created when she ambushed Rath. She couldn't help but sigh. She just destroyed her own front entrance. Shaking her head, almost unable to believe _her own_ stupidity on that, she glanced back and asked, "What possessed you both to come storming down here like an angry army, anyway?" Both Seth and Bakura exchanged glances. In the rush of worry for the knight, they'd both forgotten why they'd gone to help her at all. Then, Seth saw Sceppiro in the corner, and remembered: the king needed his sister. He relayed this to her quickly, leading her to where they kept her brother. By then, the fire was nearly extinguished, and the light from it faded. But Sith didn't need the light to see the state of her brother. Her eyes widened as she cried, "Sceppiro!?"

"I'm sorry, knight Sith. I tried to help him, but I couldn't remember any of the words for the greater healing spells," Seth said, kneeling next to her. But she seemed not to hear him. She was focused entirely upon her brother. His wounds were many, and his breathing shallow. Taking a deep breath, Sith began her work.

"Curaeto das Gaertr Haelt," she whispered, and Seth looked at her, knowing fully that if he tried to pronounce half of that, he'd end up failing. He looked down at Sceppiro again. Light enveloped the Esper king, a greenish glow splashing onto the man's face. The wounds he endured seemed to be healing themselves, closing up and mending as though nothing had harmed him. And as he opened his eyes, he saw his sister looking down at him. He smiled. And he wiped her tears away.

"I'm okay, little sister," he said gently. But it wasn't enough to keep Sith from breaking down. She cried and sobbed, burying her face in Sceppiro's coat. And all the king could do was pat her head to try and calm her down.

"I was sure… that she had killed you," Sith whispered, finally looking up at him as he sat up, "So sure… that I would have killed myself after I killed her." Sceppiro let out a long sigh, shaking his head. That sounded so like his little sister. He didn't doubt her words for a minute. He looked at Seth and Bakura. Both men seemed at a loss to say anything to either Esper. He smiled weakly to let them know everything was okay. Then he pulled Sith away and looked down at her. She looked so vastly different in her despair. Though whether that was from her fight, or from true sadness, Sceppiro couldn't say.

"You wouldn't have brought yourself to do it without proof," he replied gently, and then looked around when he realized that indeed, Rath was nowhere to be found, "…where is Rath? Did you truly kill her?" Sith sniffled, and then shook her head. Sceppiro heard Seth snort, and then looked at the priest questioningly. Seth just pointed to the wall behind them, and Sceppiro turned. And then he laughed. Rath was there, but her head had gone right through the wall. As her legs kicked furiously, trying and failing to free herself, Sceppiro asked, "Should I even bother to know?"

"Stupidity sums it up about right," Seth replied with a chuckle. Then he helped the two Espers up, looking around the destroyed entrance as Sith wiped the dust from her clothes, "…sorry about your castle, by the way."

"We would've redecorated," Sceppiro replied with a shrug, "Now then, should we head out?" Seth nodded in agreement, but as he turned, he thought he heard a malicious laugh somewhere within the room. He glanced around, but nothing stirred. At least, nothing _in front_ of him. He suddenly turned back, and heard that laugh again. His eyes narrowed.

"She's not dead yet," he mumbled, and no sooner had he finished when Rath pulled herself free, sending a spray of dust and stone toward them. She turned to them slowly, and a feral smile flashed across her face. Blood ran down, as some of the stone had cut into her, but she ignored it. She hadn't been hurt too badly. And now she had them all in one place.

"Correct," she replied calmly. But her voice did anything but calm them down. Shivers ran down Seth's spine. He had thought such a blow to the head would've at least dazed the mad woman for a little while longer; on a normal human, they'd have had their skulls bashed right in. But Rath wasn't even human. She was no longer even an Esper. She looked like a monster waiting in its lair to kill. And considering their circumstances, that was possibly the case.

"How the hell can she possibly fight when she's _losing all of that blood_?" Bakura whispered to Sith, whose hand twitched at the touch of her sword's hilt. Sith's lips thinned.

"She's neither Esper nor human. There's a chance the only thing keeping her alive is the magic that entered her when she opened Oblivion into this world," the woman whispered back, and then to Rath she said, "If it's a fight you want, rest assured we aim to serve it." Rath just laughed. She knew in a fight, she wouldn't last against the combined forces of Sith, Sceppiro, and Bakura. Her plan to kill them without moving had failed her miserably. Now she had one more trick up her sleeve. But she had no intention of letting Sith see it. Her grin grew.

"I already know I wouldn't win," Rath replied, and Sith's eyes just hardened, "No, a fight wouldn't serve me well. But that doesn't mean you can walk out alive." Sith and Seth exchanged nervous glances, wondering just what Rath was saying. Sceppiro raised a brow, not understanding, either. He asked the question that Sith hadn't spoken.

"If you will not fight, and you cannot win, how is it we'd lose?" he asked. Rath said nothing. But her hand moved fractionally. And Sith caught it. In alarm, Sith drew her sword. Bakura understood, and the two rushed over, Bakura going behind to disarm Rath as Sith lunged forward, her sword's tip stopping just inches from the woman's gray neck. Bakura discovered, in Rath's hands, a small blinking device with a single button on it. It looked harmless enough. But that never meant it was. He looked at Rath furiously.

"What in the seven levels of hell is this!?" he demanded angrily, "Answer me, damn it!" Sith gestured for Bakura to hand it to her, which he did. She caught it in her weakened hand, and looked at it carefully. She knew the device; it wasn't from this world, nor was it from her own, but she knew what it was. She glanced from the bomb, to her cousin. Her face told Bakura clearly that what he confiscated would've ended their lives, had he acted slower.

"A bomb," she growled, and turned to Rath, "You were going to destroy the entire castle! Then what? Wait for Nesce to crumble when it's all said and done!? Why the hell would you do this!? What _are_ you trying to do!?"

"If you don't already know, knight Sith, this was to destroy _you_," Seth explained, and Sith looked back at him, eyes widening in bewilderment, "This was never about Aeroglyph or Egypt. Rath used both sides for her own game."

"And what a truly magnificent job she did, too," Bakura spat sarcastically, "So, Sith, what do we do? We kill her?" Sith's eyes narrowed. That wouldn't be enough for what Rath had caused, both to her and her kingdoms. That wouldn't seal Oblivion back up. And that certainly wouldn't return the castle back to Aeroglyph. She shook her head. Rath deserved fates worse than death. But Sith couldn't be the one to decide that. Her fist clenched around the bomb.

"Damned be it, I'd love nothing more than to kill her right now," the younger woman growled, "But what knight would I be if I bloodied my sword the same way she soiled my kingdom?" Seth bit his lip. That was a good point, and he understood just how torn Sith felt about this. Rath couldn't be allowed to live. He patted her back. There was only one option she'd accept.

"We let the pharaoh decide," he concluded, and she nodded grimly. She couldn't be certain what Atemu's verdict would be, but she had a feeling he'd put Rath to death. And if not he, then certainly Bahamut. She turned to Bakura.

"If you can hold her, we can get outside and chain her," she said. Bakura nodded, but even as Rath struggled, his hold was too great for her. He could only smile. Then he saw Sceppiro backing away, a look of absolute terror plastered on the man's face. Bakura's head tilted. Something was actually frightening the king, but no one could understand what it could've been. Rath couldn't hurt him… except that when Sith looked back at her, she saw that Rath wasn't even upset at the prospect of judgment. Rath was still smiling, her feral grin exposing her sharp fangs. Even Sith was unnerved to see it. By all sanity, Rath should have been scared.

"What evil are you planning?" Sith demanded quietly, but Seth screamed, and pointed to one of Rath's hands. It had gone into her cloak. Bakura realized too late that she wasn't struggling to break free; she was reaching to retrieve something. And he knew what it was. He saw just one blinking button.

"_BOMB!_" he screamed, and they scattered. Bakura pushed Rath to the floor, knowing he couldn't take the bomb from her before she set it off. But that didn't matter to any of them. They just had to get out, to get off the floating castle before she pressed it. They had only minutes. As Sith pulled Seth along, Sceppiro following them both, she threw fireballs at anything that could topple to try and contain the damage as much as possible. Pillars fell behind them, closing Rath in. But the insane woman didn't appear to care; she began laughing, a laughter that was filled with such evil and hatred, it sounded completely inhuman. Seth actually shivered. Such a sound froze his blood right in his veins. It was only because of Sith that he knew he hadn't died right on the spot. She forced him to keep moving.

"She had another bomb the whole time!?" he managed to say as they passed the front doors. Already, they could hear that Rath had begun the terrible countdown. They heard a small explosion as they rushed into the abandoned court. At the very least, they saw that everyone else had already fled, hopefully back to Egypt. But that left them there, alone. Sith cursed.

"The pharaoh is safe, but Rath will get her wish regardless!" the woman cried in anguish, "We're stranded!"

"They seriously left us!?" Bakura cried, and looked around, hoping to find something to aid them before they were killed. But there was nothing. And both dragons indeed departed. The thief couldn't believe it. They'd been abandoned! Seth turned immediately to Sith. There was only one thing they could do now. He had no idea if she could, but he had to suggest it. Their lives were going to end soon. He might as well make an ass of himself one last time.

"Knight, we need you to turn into a dragon again!" he said quickly, "Please, can you do it!?" But by the startled look on her face, it was clear Sith _couldn't_. She had used too much power already, and Seth knew he had pushed his luck. But then Sceppiro stepped in. He walked up toward the middle of the court, chanting a spell as he went. Wind roared around them, and even with the explosions inside the castle, it was still roaring higher. The sunlight grew strong, just as it had when Bahamut had morphed. Both Seth and Sith shielded their eyes, and when they heard a familiar roar of a dragon, they knew Sceppiro succeeded. The dragon turned his head toward his very little sister as she opened her eyes. Her mouth dropped. Sceppiro had some tricks of his own, after all.

'_Hop on and hang tight_,' Sceppiro said through a growl. Sith didn't hesitate. With one move, she grabbed Seth's wrist and heaved him high into the air. He screamed, and noticed Bakura was watching in sheer awe as he flew through the air. He landed safely upon Sceppiro's scaly back, and looked down just in time to see Sith leaping up quickly to his side. Bakura shrugged, and began climbing to join them. When they were safe, Sceppiro roared again, unfurled his large wings, and leapt off the courtyard, into the sky. It had been a frantic take off, but now he was sure they'd escape. And he was sure he could make it to Egypt.

And it was then that the castle of Aeroglyph blew up in a torrent of raging fire, catching them all in its searing fury. And all that sounded, even above the wind and fire, was the laughter of the most deepest insanity. The laughter of a monster who had just killed their most troublesome prey. The laughter of a madman who had completed a spell so vile, that just to see the words would have sent him down the spiral of destruction. The laughter of Rath Winchester.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After seeing that Sith and Sceppiro are well after the battle between Sith and Rath, Seth and his three allies finally appeared to have caught the horrible monster that unleashed the threat of evil into their worlds. But Rath had more than just tricks of her sleeves, and now Seth is forced to make a hasty escape. Caught in the fires of Rath's last ditch move, will Seth live to see through his most magical adventure? Or is it over for our favorite priest? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	28. End of the War

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he can't believe this story's ending so close to another one of my stories. Neither can I. But that's what we call timing.

The castle crumbled. As everyone aboard the Albatross looked on and watched, they saw the castle had been utterly, completely destroyed. Atemu watched as the outer walls slid, and then splashed into the ocean far below; the structure was falling even as the castle began to sail southeast, far from Egypt's own coasts. He couldn't believe for the life of him that Aeroglyph, his once-mighty ally, was gone now. But more importantly, neither Sith nor Seth had returned, either. As members of his personal court, their absence worried him a great deal. And when he had seen the fiery blasts that sent the hurtling castle into a sea of flames, he was sure they'd been caught in it. So many lives lost that day. It almost wasn't even fair.

"That little good-fer-nothin' destroyed our home!" Cydandilus screamed, stomping one foot, "An' she killed me niece an' nephew!"

"They can't be dead, can they!?" Malik asked in disbelief, looking up at his sister in terror. But Priestess Isis couldn't stand to look at him. She hadn't seen this outcome, but the damage had been too catastrophic. Even Espers had their limits. Malik waited for her, but when she didn't answer, he said, "No! I won't believe it! Knight Sith and Priest Seth wouldn't just die!"

"How could they have possibly survived that, though?" Shaddah asked, as the villagers around him gasped as another wall crumbled into the sea. The castle kept shrinking as it moved toward the horizon, but even here, the destruction was apparent. Atemu's eyes watered. It wasn't just Sith and Seth, either. Bakura and Sceppiro had been killed, too. He gripped the railing, his knuckles going from tan to white.

"My… my friends," he said, "Damn it, I shouldn't have left them! What was this all for? What point was this?" Cyd simply patted him on the back as they watched the castle continue to crumble. The fire died down as it sunk closer to the water, but there was no mistake. Anyone who was inside the castle was dead. Atemu felt the old Esper shiver as he came to that realization. He took off his cracked goggles.

"They died fightin' as warriors, boy," the Esper growled lowly, though even he seemed unconvinced with that comfort, "An' Rath couldn't have survived that. I'm guessin' she's a goner, too."

"But what was the point!?" Atemu yelled angrily, turning to everyone assembled, "What in hell did this war even prove? Nesce was not our enemy, and it never was! We were allies! And one woman, one stupid woman, destroyed that! For what purpose!?" Everyone else backed away. The pharaoh wasn't someone they wished to anger, and they all knew that any answer, no matter the content, would anger his majesty even further. The only one crazy enough to try and answer was Cyd himself. He let out a deep breath. Atemu turned to him, eyes brimming with tears for his fallen friends.

"The point? Yer assumin' Rath had a reason other than vengeance, boy," Cyd told him calmly, sadly, "There ain't no point to what she did. She didn't benefit from that war. No one did. I don't think she wanted us to, either. It ain't about point, though. Rath did it for herself, and that's the end of it." Silence fell on them after Cyd finished. That had to be true; there wasn't much point for Egypt to wage such a war on Nesce. And vice versa, too. But still, the thought of such selfishness was too much. What on earth happened to make Rath become so uncaring? Atemu looked down. Only Sith might possibly know. And she had to be dead.

"Cyd, what happened to Rath?" the young king asked, and Cyd looked down at him, "What made her so hateful?" Cyd's lips thinned, and he looked up at the sky. That was a long story indeed. Rath was already over two thousand years old. But Atemu did ask, and it was clear he wanted to know. Cyd summarized.

"I'm gonna tell you this once, so make sure you listen," he said sternly, "Some magic ain't supposed to be used, even though it's created. Rath made that mistake, and it made her crazy, boy. Sith's own mother died 'cause she tried to stop Rath. Probably why Rath wants Sith dead, too, 'cause she can't face that she killed the woman. An' Sith looks like her mother." Atemu looked down. He never heard such a ridiculous reason to kill someone. Then again, he himself never murdered before. He would never understand why Rath would try so valiantly to kill her own family; he had thought she wanted the throne, as everyone else had. But as he watched the castle crumble to pieces, turning to ash as it hit water, he knew it clearly wasn't so. He took a deep breath. So many friends lost, indeed.

"What does this mean?" he asked, almost so absently that he hadn't expected any reply. Cyd's lips thinned further, and he looked toward the smoldering remains of his old castle. He doubted the Espers could survive any longer in this world now.

"Means we're all screwed now," the old pilot said simply, and Atemu stiffened, "Ain't nowhere to go back to, not with Nesce ripped apart like that."

"Surely the dragons can do something?" Mahaado intervened curiously, but Cyd shook his head, crossing his arms. What could Bahamut possibly do? The damage was more severe than anything else Nesce ever suffered. They'd be lucky if Nesce itself hadn't crumbled to dust; the castle was its main support, and Aeroglyph was considered older than time itself. Who knew what would happen to any world with the country utterly dismembered.

"Yeah, they can start by telling us we ain't got a place to live now," the old Esper grumbled grumpily, eyes narrowing as he looked in the distance, "I think I'm seein' one right now." Atemu turned quickly to look, too. It was small, far in the horizon, but he did see a flying creature. But one thing he noted was that he didn't feel the same overwhelming presence that he felt from either Bahamut or Tiamat. He squinted, as if that would help him to see it better; he couldn't make out any distinct markings. But it was flying fast, and now he noted it was coming from _where the castle crumbled_. His eyes widened. It couldn't have been Bahamut or Tiamat. They had retreated in opposite directions. But then… who was it?

A burst of searing fire erupted from the new dragon's mouth as they neared, though even at that distance, they were still quite far from the Albatross. Cyd moved the ship to its side, steering so the dragon would be forced to slow. He couldn't be certain it wasn't hostile. And the dragon _was_ slowing, but it was too far to think the ship was a threat. Atemu's brow rose. The dragon shouldn't have been afraid; humans and Espers alike were no match for one, but this dragon was being cautious. Atemu saw that archers had taken aim at the creature. Then he saw they suddenly aimed for something else. Something had just flown off the dragon's back, and Atemu missed it. And as he turned to see what had shocked the archers, he saw that _thing_ leaping for them. And it was going insanely fast.

The arrows were let loose before Cyd gave the shout to fire. The distant figure was more than enough to spark fear into the soldiers, given its incredible speed. But the arrows all missed, and whatever didn't was deflected with a sharp clang of steel. And the figure didn't slow from the distraction, either. Atemu knew at once who it was; there was only one person he knew who had that kind of aerial combat ability. His mouth dropped open. Sith couldn't be alive. She _shouldn't_ be alive. But it was her. She was close now, her armored sleeves glinting blue in the sunlight. Except that she was wearing linen when Atemu last saw her. He blinked again. It couldn't have been her. She looked… different now. Yet still the same. And when she landed on the deck, sweeping a circle of wind as she crashed ungracefully, he saw she was wearing _no_ linen from Egypt any longer. She was fully decked in Aeroglyphian armor. And she regarded him with amusement.

"I hope that your departure was an _accident_," she said pointedly, but Atemu found he was speechless despite the silent accusation. Words couldn't express the relief he felt. His best knight, nay, his best friend was right there in front of him. And she was perfectly fine. He pulled her into a hug, ignoring the gasps from the crowds around them. It had been just too long a day for him. And he nearly lost Sith to madness. She chuckled and said, "Surely, you didn't _mean_ to feed us to wolves, right?"

"Knight Sith, you have my most profound apologies," Atemu told her sincerely, and then tilted his head, "But what do you mean 'we?" Her brow perked quizzically as he let go of her, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked more imposing in her new armor, he noted.

"Myself, Seth, Bakura, and my brother," she reminded him with a grin, "The four musketeers, if you will." Atemu shook his head. That was technically what they were now; whether any of them admitted it, it was their unwittingly combined abilities that thwarted Rath so magnificently again and again. And they survived the last battle together as well. But Atemu looked around and saw that, despite Sith's declaration, only she stood on the deck. He wondered if she left out one or two small facts concerning their escape. Such as not letting the others escape _with_ her.

"I ain't seein' Arthos, Porthos, and Aremis anywhere," Cyd commented sarcastically, tapping his foot as he stared at his niece, "Them other idiots ain't here, either, Sithy, so what happened?"

"They're here," she told both the old Esper and the pharaoh, and jerked her head toward the dragon, "Sceppiro's bringing the other two. I decided to just tell you we're alive. And more of us are a little more than miffed with you, too." Atemu snorted. He wasn't surprised, especially in either Seth or Bakura's case. Neither actually cared much for him otherwise, but he did abandon them for his safety. Even if it was against his orders. He shrugged. So be it. There wasn't much he could've done unless he _wanted_ to die. And he felt he should've seen the battle out, albeit at a safe distance.

"Then is it possible Rath is alive as well!?" Mahaado suddenly asked in alarm. Atemu suddenly frowned. That logic wasn't entirely impossible; Sith and her team had been caught directly in the blast and they lived. Rath might be just as hardy. Sith's expression went grim now, and she turned back to look at the smoldering ruins of her home. Atemu saw a tear well up in her eye, but he didn't comment, nor did it fall. She closed her eyes.

"If she's alive, she's severely crippled, by my bet," the woman told him frankly, uncrossing her arms and leaning on the railing, "She was amidst the flames. Not even an Esper can survive that for long. If she isn't dead, I may be able to finish her off." Atemu smiled confidently. Sith could probably finish anyone off, should she choose. But then he realized her tone wasn't as confident as he felt. She sounded unsure. But Rath couldn't have so much power that she defied death… could she? Atemu shook his head. No, even Bahamut wouldn't have cheated Death like that. Rath wasn't that stupid.

"You sound most uncertain, lady Sith," Karim commented from behind the young king, and Sith nodded accordingly. She showed them her right hand now; it was limp. Atemu's mouth dropped. How was that even possible? Had Rath done that to her? Surely, she had. No one else was strong enough.

"I have little feeling in my hand, my friends," she told them sadly, and both Karim and Mahaado looked similarly concerned, as the latter held her hand gently, "I would not be so surprised if I lost it, for the nerve was worn much more than it could take." Mahaado turned her hand over, and she barely felt it. It felt numb and stiff, as though it had fallen asleep. And it probably had, forever. Her brows creased as she said, "I refuse to give up my sword." Atemu just laughed. That was like her: to be a stubborn idiot. He shook his head.

"You never change, friend," he replied, and clapped her on the back, "You did well, Sith. Does this mean Rath's reign is over?" Sith grinned slyly and nodded, though at that point, it didn't matter. Nesce was ruined regardless, and there was nothing left to rule. And by the look on Cyd's face, he had already seen to tell that to the others.

"Hopefully, it is," she replied, and again, that uncertainty in her voice nagged at the king, "For now, though, I'll ignore her. She will need time if she's stupid enough to pursue us, and I'm exhausted." And that was the end of that, for she walked toward the cabin to take a rest. But Atemu wasn't convinced. He looked back toward where the explosion had happened; the castle was no longer floating. It was half-submerged in the ocean, the other half having crashed into the nearby shores far to the northwest. He couldn't see how Rath could salvage a thing from there now, but Sith seemed too unsure for him to ignore it. Was she still a threat? His brow rose as he wondered that.

"Sometimes, king, you worry way too much," came Bakura's voice. Atemu turned quickly, and found he was relieved to see the thief was alive and well. He grinned, and the two clasped each other's hands for a moment, both seeming happy to see the other.

"So you believe Sith as well?" Atemu asked him, and saw that Seth and Sceppiro were on the deck as well. He wasn't sure when they'd arrived. It must've been sometime within the last minute, for he hadn't seen them beforehand. Bakura snorted, and shrugged as he looked toward the ruins himself.

"Not sure, but when has the good knight ever lied?" he asked, and Atemu understood his point. Bakura whistled as he looked upon the ruins, and added, "Damn, she did a number on Sith's home. Think anyone else will notice?" Atemu stared as though the man had two heads. That was a stupid thing to ask. Anyone who wasn't _blind_ would see that Aeroglyph was no more. Atemu was sure even blind people might be able to figure out what happened to the once-mighty kingdom. The king just shook his head.

"No. I'm sure it's perfectly natural for a giant castle to fall right out of the sky," he said sarcastically. Bakura just laughed, and patted Atemu on the back.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, pharaoh," he commented, and Atemu just snorted. Sith often said that, too. They continued to look toward the ruins, Atemu still wondering at the unease in his knight's voice. Normally, Sith was sure of her victories. What was causing her such disquiet? Bakura obviously didn't know, and he doubted Seth would, either. He looked down. Sometimes, he wished he understood what Sith was thinking. If they were supposed to expect another attack, he wanted to know.

"As much as we all love to know that you two are best friends forever, we should probably think of running away," Seth said, and this time both men turned to face him, "An explosion like that probably set off a chain reaction somewhere. I certainly don't want to get caught in the blast." Atemu and Bakura exchanged worried glances, neither even thinking that something catastrophic would come from Rath's demise. Judging from Mahaado's expression, he was equally disturbed. He looked to Cyd.

"Egypt is not in danger, is it!?" he demanded. But Cyd grinned and leaned back, not even the least bit concerned for what would be his new home. He shook his head.

"We ain't even near that sandbox," the old Esper told them smugly, "I gone an' veered us west, toward some continent I knew we wouldn't give a shit about. Egypt's gonna be fine." Bakura's eyes narrowed flatly. As much as he was glad that Cyd actually thought ahead a little bit, he didn't like that the old fool was putting _someone else_ in complete peril. But then again, he didn't like Cyd much at all. But he knew better than to state that, because Cyd still had a cannon. And no one could defend against one of those. Rath proved that one particularly well.

"I'm not sure whether we should arrest him for endangerment or just ignore him," the thief whispered to Atemu. Atemu glanced toward the side, where most of his guards sat, polishing whatever was left of their weapons. Some of them also eyed the old pilot warily, unable to make the same choice, but for a different reason entirely. They all knew that Cyd was crazy enough to fire at them with said cannon. Never mind that it'd probably kill him, too.

"My men look ready to relieve themselves just by watching him. Do you honestly think they'd even _try_ arresting him?" Atemu countered, and Bakura conceded the point. Then he just laughed. He couldn't blame them for being absolutely terrified. The old Esper really was off his rocker, and it wouldn't have surprised Bakura if the _only_ person who could calm the man was Sith herself. It was almost ironic that she chose to rest _right at that point_.

"Good point. We'd be better off trying to push him overboard," the thief replied with a casual shrug. Now it was Atemu's turn to stare flatly at the older man. That was a dumb idea, plain and simple, and in the king's mind, it was worse than making an arrest. Not only could Cyd _fly_, but if he managed to outrun his ship, which was entirely too possible with someone else steering, he'd probably shoot them all anyway. Their best bet was probably to just ignore the man. Atemu didn't say this, however. At that point, he hoped his expression spoke for him.

"Hey, considering that that old fool's the only one who can _drive_ this deathtrap, I don't think we should really be pushing him off," Seth interjected, his voice just about as flat as Atemu's stare. For once, his reasoning was enough to convince Bakura, who sighed heavily and looked over at Cyd. He was currently examining the cannon on deck to see if it worked, in case Rath really did manage to live. Bakura couldn't even see how she would. He certainly didn't trust that Cyd was examining it just to see his most prized possession. Who knew what the old fool was even thinking.

After watching everyone on deck for nearly an hour, Seth decided to retire to the cabin. Night was fast approaching, and he sorely felt he needed to rest. He slipped from the deck into the living room, and was more than a little surprised to see that Sith was sitting in a chair, a cup of some vile, brown liquid in her hand. Even from the door, Seth smelled that it was some form of alcohol. He didn't want to know how many cups she'd already drunk by then. But she didn't appear bothered much by his presence, as she pointed to a seat next to her. Not wanting to know how skilled she was while drunk, Seth obliged. For a moment, the two sat in silence. Then, Sith finally spoke, putting her cup down.

"Nice night, eh?" she asked, and Seth almost laughed. Of all the things she could've said, over any of the events that happened, that was something that seemed so mundane, so unimportant. He wasn't even sure if he had an answer. Knowing her, it was a trick question. He looked down at her cup.

"Should you be drinking after such a battle, knight?" he asked, more concern in his voice than he wanted to portray. Sith just half-grinned, lifting her cup and taking a sip. The liquid burned in her throat. Whiskey was never easy for her.

"A little bit of drink isn't bad, priest," she replied, and leaned back in her seat, "I'm going to assume Sceppiro told you what we're going to be doing." Seth blinked, wondering if he heard right. Sceppiro hadn't really spoken to him; the Esper king was too involved with planning something out with the pharaoh. Then it hit Seth that that very conversation was what Sith was talking about. She must've expected Seth to be part of it. To her disappointment, he shook his head, crossing one leg over the other as he sat.

"Not a word," he told her easily, "Why? Are you leaving?"

"Not exactly, but we're in trouble," she explained calmly, and when Seth's eyes widened, she said, "Relax. Not danger. But Nesce has collapsed. We don't have a home anymore. I'll be okay since I'm in service in Egypt, but my brother and my kingdom aren't as lucky." Seth nodded knowingly. He knew where she was getting at. The Espers would most likely be living in Egypt as well, or even elsewhere should the situation call for it. That didn't seem so bad right then. It'd tighten their alliance, anyway.

"So your brother's seeing to a little bit of 'life insurance,' right?" he concluded. Sith snorted in amusement. That was a rudely accurate description, she had to admit. She nodded, taking another sip of her beverage.

"It's standard procedure for kings, of course," she joked, and then frowned, "Though I do worry about how this'll affect your world. Espers are not from this world. Our magic might cause a big rift, especially since there are so many of us." Seth's lips thinned. There probably wouldn't be as many as Sith thought, depending on how many were killed in Aeroglyph. But he didn't state this. It'd only make the old knight angry, and Seth did have a mutual respect for her now. Why ruin it?

"If Rath hasn't destroyed our world, I don't think a bunch of friendly Espers would," he commented, making Sith smile, "But I get your point. So, all of that stuff about other worlds? It's true?" Sith nodded, and looked down at the table distantly.

"Very true. This is one small world in a universe containing thousands. Possibly millions," she replied grimly, "But that's not a secret." If it wasn't, it was still news to Seth. He shrugged, looking out the window. Someone had lit a few lanterns on the deck; they glowed orange amidst the black sky, like tiny stars.

"Why our world?" he finally asked her, and Sith looked up, caught unaware with his question, "Why did she choose this world?"

"I don't think there's an answer for that, my friend," Sith replied at length, and sadly, "I was the target, but if she wanted me powerless, she could've easily lured me to another world. My guess is, she felt this world was a suitable field. She probably felt that if this world crumbled, it'd break me apart, on the inside." Seth glanced at her with worry. From that tone, it sounded as though that were the opposite of what was really going on. He shivered. Perhaps there was truth to Cyd's words; a bigger truth than Bakura had wanted to realize, on a scale Cyd hadn't understood yet. He spoke of 'a place we wouldn't give a shit about.' This vaguely reminded Seth of those words.

"You don't care if this world breaks apart?" he asked her, "What about Atemu?"

"What of him?" she asked slyly, a brow rising curiously. Seth gulped, wondering if she guessed at what he was getting at, or if she somehow heard what Tiamat said before the battle. Or if she even knew herself. He decided to just jump right in and ask directly. It didn't matter if she laughed at him or not.

"Were you really going to marry him?" he asked her. Sith blinked, and then frowned. That was answer enough. But she spoke anyway, and she shook her head.

"I made it clear I wouldn't," she replied calmly, and took a breath, "I've considered it, as I've said, but never for anything more than the prosperity of both sides. But now I see the choice would mean nothing. Egypt wouldn't prosper, and neither would Nesce, not anymore. There'd be little point and I doubt I'd be happy." Seth wasn't sure if he should remind her that if Atemu asked, she'd be forced to oblige whether she wanted to or not. But Sith knew that, for she said, "He wouldn't do that. He knows better."

"So he knew all along?" Seth asked. Sith shook her head again.

"No, but we're close friends. He knows that if he angers me, he'll have to deal with an entire race of angry Espers. He's not that idiotic," she stated, but something told Seth even she had a little difficulty believing that, "Being king doesn't mean you get what you wish. He knows that, and I pray it was his father who taught him." Seth's lips thinned, and he looked away. Not because he couldn't tell her it _was_ Atemu's father that taught him, but because he couldn't remember his own father. And he certainly didn't want to know if _he_ was the reason Seth was the way he was. Sith waited uncomfortably for him to respond, but he didn't. Finally, she shrugged, leaning back in her seat comfortably.

"So, what brings you in here, anyway?" she asked him, deciding it best to change the subject, "It's not because the company outside is bad." Seth gave her a sidelong glance. He didn't have a reason, and to be honest, he didn't think he needed one. But now that he did think about it, coming in here and talking to Sith wasn't what he wanted to do. So… why _was_ he doing it? Because he had to. He had to make sure she was okay. They weren't friends, but they _were_ partners to an extent. And that's what partners did, whether he liked it or not. He grinned.

"I'm getting tired," he replied simply, and Sith just snorted, "Being in war will do that, right?"

"I find it does," she conceded the point with a shrug and another sip of her drink, at which she finally made a face, "But that's what drinking is for, I find as well. A good drink never hurts anyone, priest. Care for a cup?" Seth perked an amused brow; she had already said that, but he didn't mind the offer. He nodded, and she poured him a small glass this time. He sipped it as well. It was bittersweet, and burned his tongue a little. He decided he didn't like it, and put the glass down.

"So what do we do after this?" he asked her casually as she finished her whiskey. She looked up at him for a moment, and then smirked as she put her own cup down, crossing her arms. She looked just a little too smug for him as she tilted her head knowingly.

"We go back to our lives, I'd think," she replied as the door opened, "Nothing much changed, if you ask me. We just don't have a kingdom to go home to, but we're all still alive, right?" Seth nodded, and looked over toward the door. Atemu and Bakura both came in, but no one else seemed to follow. Seth frowned. Had they overheard? He didn't know, but they each took a seat next to Sith. And neither looked particularly happy, either. She looked over at Atemu and asked, "What was decided?"

"Your brother's going to start a smaller settlement near the Nile until he recruits enough force to go to the ruins of Aeroglyph and lift it back into your world," the pharaoh replied grimly, "But he wants you to go with him." Sith hummed, but only looked up at the ceiling. She gave no further response, and it looked as though she expected that from her brother. She took a breath. That breath turned into several before she spoke again. And when she did, she sounded grim herself.

"Looks like I'll be playing mediator, then," she stated jokingly, but her tone belied her words. Seth looked over at her, and this time he was worried. That meant she'd be doing a lot of traveling. Even with her wings, he wasn't sure she could keep that up for long. Egypt wasn't just big, it was hot, too. And he knew, over the years he'd know her, that she hated heat. Considering that Aeroglyph had been sitting near Nesce's northern coast, that wasn't even surprising.

"You're seriously considering working in both armies?" the priest asked her, raising a brow, "Knight, I believe in you, but be realistic. You'll burn yourself out." Sith gave him her usual sly smile. In the dim light, it looked far more sinister than he thought it should. He made a note to ask Cyd to put more lights in the room.

"I never said I was going to live with Sceppiro," she replied slyly, almost mischievously, "I'm still quite loyal to Egypt, and our alliance isn't broken. My job isn't yet done, priest Seth." Seth's brow rose even higher with those words. That meant she'd be staying in the court. Where she was recognized as the best of the best, with or without her sword. Seth personally wasn't sure he should be happy for the protection or worried for his own life. He'd done enough to piss her off already. She looked at him, and nearly laughed at his expression. He seemed so terrified of her. Wrinkling her nose, she said, "Ah yes, what a surprise that I like you all."

"It's just that, I'd have thought with Aeroglyph destroyed, there was no more alliance," Seth said quietly, twiddling his thumbs, "No kingdom means no allies in a war, doesn't it?"

"No, it just means there's no place to run when shit happens," Bakura put in abruptly, and with good humor, "The only way an alliance breaks is if either half of said agreement is dead. And as far as we can see, Sith, Sceppiro, and the pharaoh are all breathing." Seth wanted to tell the thief to shut his mouth, but underneath his sarcastic tone, there was truth to his words. As long as Atemu and Sith were alive, their alliance would last quite a time. Sceppiro's life would only add to it. Seth just nodded. Now he began to understand Claude's decision concerning Sith's life. She was a queen; she'd need allies sooner or later. At the very least, she'd make a good ally. Or a deadly foe, as in Rath's case.

"As soon as we reach the metropolis, we're going to hold a debate to where the Espers can live," Atemu told Seth rather grimly, and the priest looked at his king with concern, "I'm not against it. But land isn't abundant, and everyone wants a piece. Sceppiro wants to make sure it won't interfere with anyone."

"I don't see how it won't. His army's still one thousand strong!" Bakura exclaimed, shrugging one shoulder, "Unless he plans on living in the north Spire, he'll affect _someone_."

"That's not too bad an idea," Sith said to the thief, who looked over at her curiously, "That's the passage to what used to be Lion's Gate. It wouldn't be difficult for us to adapt to the colder environment there. And we could provide further protection for travelers. West of the old gate is the unknown continents. People do travel there, and there's no outpost for some time." Atemu looked up, considering the knight's point. That was true enough, especially when it came to the warrior guilds along Egypt's western edge and beyond that. And the north was dangerous indeed; snow and ice weren't the only things that could kill the men of Egypt. But Espers weren't immortal, either.

"Who would protect the Espers?" he asked his knight calmly, "The north Spire ranges over three hundred miles strong from east to west, and nearly half that long from north to south. Getting to us in a time of need wouldn't be so easy." But Sith didn't consider that to be a problem. She grinned, and her wings fluttered. Seth snorted; Espers could _fly_ if they needed to. At least, most of them could. No wonder she hadn't brought up that particular problem before. Because it wasn't one.

"I believe past experience has told you we're good at dealing with a crisis," she said courteously, with just a hint of too much amusement at her king's expense. Seth couldn't help but grin. She was probably the only one able to get away with a response like that. Atemu just waved it away, though. She had her own way of dealing with _him_ as well.

"What of trade, then?" he asked her, changing the subject, "There's not much to be scoured from the ruins. What would you provide to travelers?" Again, that wasn't a problem to her.

"We're able weapon-smiths and we do cultivate food," she replied seriously, crossing her arms, "And we do have highly trained warriors. I'd imagine protection and armories would be more than suitable? Given our enchanted weapons?" Atemu nodded to concede the point. Trade wouldn't be a problem for either of them. Well, not much of one. There was still one problem neither spoke of, and it was sitting right next to them. And its name was Bakura. Who seemed entirely too amused with the conversation in general, for he seemed to have been ignored entirely on the point of trade. And with his profession, that was just stupidity waiting to happen.

"You don't think I'd steal from you, do you?" he practically purred, when they both looked at him blankly, "Why, my king, I'm _hurt_!"

"Considering that you've stolen from my kingdom in the past, I think you're lucky we even allowed you in here," Atemu told him flatly. He just laughed hysterically; the pharaoh didn't exactly sound too serious on that note. Then he shook his head, his usual cocky grin on his face as he leaned back in his seat, his white hair sticking slightly to the leather.

"Hey, I'm a king, too. I deserve to listen in on what's going on, especially when it impacts _my men_," the thief pointed out. This time it was Sith's turn to give him a flat response.

"Being the king of idiots isn't something to be proud of, Bakura," she said. That deflated his ego like a balloon. Mostly because it was true. Many of the thieves he actually did hang around with had less than satisfactory IQ scores. Lines of blue splashed across his flustered face.

"But I'd still like to know," he whined, as if that were the only reason he should be allowed to listen in on whatever the king chose to speak about. And it wasn't like Atemu was demanding that Sith remove the wily thief, anyway. Sometimes, though, Seth wasn't entirely too sure of Atemu's judgment anyway.

The night past swiftly from that point onward. Sith and Atemu continued to discuss their plans over the predicament of the Espers, with Bakura more or less getting in their way about it. By that point, Seth had retired to his own room, listening in only when Sceppiro walked into the living room. From what he heard, the Esper king agreed to Sith's suggestions, though there would still be a conference to determine what aid was needed for the new settlement to be built in the north. It wasn't too bad a trade-off. More than half of the villagers would probably be willing to help out, and Seth knew Karim would join them, seeing as how Sith was his student. Or had been, three years ago. Loyalty ran deep with him. Now, however, dawn was quickly settling as the ship continued its eastern course. Cyd proved to be a swift pilot indeed; Seth wasn't even sure he had a few hours rest before he saw the orange glow of a sunrise, most native to his homeland. And with him, that never rested well.

When he forced himself out of bed, and toward the deck of the ship, he saw that they had already landed, and that only a few of the villagers were still asleep. Everyone else was already wide awake and waiting outside of the ship. Their losses had been great, Seth saw, but they weren't as bad as the priest had feared. They were still well over ten thousand strong on the human side; but there were less than a thousand for the Espers. Seth winced. That was a heavy blow, and aside from that, only three hundred other creatures from the other worlds remained. But no one complained about the dead. Anyone who survived were just thankful they had. Seth descended the ladder slowly, and jumped down, landing in the soft sands of the desert. It felt good to be home.

"Don't tell me I missed something," he grumbled as he walked over to where Sith and Mahaado stood. Sith grinned at him; it wasn't a sight he wanted to first wake up to.

"We didn't plan on it," she joked, to which he didn't laugh, "But you might wish to know that there will be a trial today as soon as we reach the gates into the metropolis." Seth rubbed his eyes. It was too damn early to be dealing with that, he quickly decided.

"For what!?" he demanded grumpily, "What did Bakura do this time?" Unfortunately, the thief in question wasn't too far away from them. He heard the question. And subsequently defended himself from it. Rather aggressively, if Seth had to say so.

"Excuse me!? I did _nothing_!" Bakura declared in exasperation, "The trial's because Atemu doesn't want anyone crying over the lands north of the spire, _idiot_. That's where Sceppiro plans to build their new settlement!" Normally, Seth would've provided an equally annoyed response, but word of the new settlement interested him too much. Mainly because he knew that he would be involved, whether he wanted to be or not. He just shrugged, ignoring the anger in the thief's voice as he turned to Sith. She seemed amused with the thief's tone, personally.

"So everyone agreed you're definitely staying here?" he asked, referring to all of the Espers. She nodded, taking a deep breath as she turned toward the north. Normally, they'd see a small portion of Nesce floating in their world, but not anymore. All that greeted them was the far distant view of the ocean. Seth frowned. He would never get used to that.

"More or less," she replied carefully, "This is more a formality than anything, though. Since it affects the entirety of Egypt at large, the pharaoh wants to give the people a chance to use their voices. Bit of a waste, if you ask me, because they don't really have a choice anyway. It's either we stay here or we head west. No matter what they choose, we're still in your world for now."

"And just how long will that be?" Seth asked her, raising a brow. She gave a little grin.

"Depends on how long it takes to rebuild the capital," she said, just a bit too smugly, "Could be a year, could be a thousand. Now let's go. They're heading out already." And that was the end of that. Seth, Bakura, and Mahaado followed the older woman toward the army, where indeed the royal guards were leading them across the desert.

Just as Sith had said, as soon as the gates of the metropolis were thrown open, the guards led everyone toward the palace. By then, some of the crowd had separated, heading toward the Nile back to their own villages. Atemu had no objection; many of them had families that hadn't participated in the battle. But a vast majority had stayed, and the guards wasted no time. Sith had gone to the front end to direct the parade, and with her brisk command, it took little time to organize the crowds and move swiftly. By noon, they were already at the palace gates. Akunaden had come out and was already opening them by the time the first row of warriors appeared; Siamun had come out to greet them, and was pleasantly relieved to see that Knight Sith indeed lived, after all.

The old priest took over from there, leading first the pharaoh's court into the hall. The guards continued to lead the villagers, and the Espers took up the rear of the procession. By the time it was all said and done, the audience chamber was filled. Atemu took his place by the throne, and Seth was both relieved and a little annoyed to see Sith standing right beside the king. As usual, she looked like the core of authority. Right then, she most probably was. Atemu glanced at her, and then clapped his hands. Any clamor within the room ceased immediately. Everyone, human and non, looked at their king. He had their complete attention.

"It is to my understanding, people of Egypt, that the Espers wish to build a settlement in the northern expanse of our great desert," Atemu began calmly, a small smile on his face, "I have readily agreed to this. Nesce has been our ally since my father's time, and I wish to keep that alliance strong. But my voice alone isn't eternal. This is a choice I should not make on my own. Therefore, I ask, if any have an objection, do speak on it. This decision affects all of you. Every man, human or not, has this choice to make. Make it wisely." Sith nodded with approval, and one by one, everyone in the room began to mutter amongst themselves. Atemu waited patiently, but he couldn't help but feel just a little anxious over what his people would decide. Only one had the courage to speak up; it was Malik.

"Rath _is_ dead, right?" he asked in a quiet voice, "I mean, she's not going to just come back, is she?"

"Yeah, we won't need to worry about any Espers killing us, will we?" another man asked, with a little more seriousness to his voice, "We have families. We can't risk safety if she's still alive." Atemu paled a little bit. Sith hadn't confirmed whether Rath truly was dead. But he didn't need to say that. Sith stepped in at that point.

"Rest assured she isn't coming back," the knight said grimly, "Aeroglyph Castle is in ruins, and not a soul survived if they were inside when it erupted. You are safe." The words of the young pharaoh hadn't convinced them, but the words of their hero had. The man nodded and offered no other resistance, and Malik seemed put at relative peace. The villagers murmured again, the Espers remaining silent now. Then, another man spoke up.

"We think it's a good idea," he said, "Having the Espers in Egypt would do us all some good. Especially in the north, where the winds are most brutal." Many of the villagers agreed, and so the verdict was easily decided. Seth couldn't say he wasn't happy; though he didn't have entirely fond memories of the Espers, he _was_ glad they had their allies. And, as he thought, many of the men agreed to help Sceppiro and the Espers to build their city, with Karim overseeing it. Sith would be joining them within two weeks, as soon as she was able to leave court. Bakura also volunteered, though that did bring some hesitancy from Sith. Seth didn't blame her; he wasn't entirely sure Bakura didn't have a second motive for offering his help. But in the end, the court went well. By evening, everyone was dismissed, and only Sceppiro and Sith remained of the Espers; Sith because she was part of the court, and Sceppiro because he still had much to discuss with Atemu. When it was all said and done, Seth escorted the knight out of the chamber, leaving the two kings to talk about business. At that point, many of the palace's inhabitants retired. They walked down the hall quietly.

"Busy few weeks, eh?" Seth commented, as they reached the entrance hall. Sith nodded, but she looked grim despite the good news. Seth stood and watched as she slowly began to ascend the stairs.

"Certainly will be, that's for sure," she replied, and then turned and gave him a sly smile, "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone." Seth snorted. As if he needed that warning. He learned his lesson by then. He followed her up the stairs. It was just as silent as downstairs. And darker; almost all of the torches had been doused.

"You act as if I need the warning!" he cried, as they turned and walked down the west wing, toward the royal chambers. Sith laughed. Seth wasn't nearly as flustered, or annoyed, as he tried to pretend to be. It was clear in his voice. If they had been closer, she'd have probably ruffled his hair or given him a hug. She'd miss his bantering when it came time to leave. As they reached his chamber first, she settled for a clap on the back. It nearly sent him falling, but he managed to stay standing. She grinned again.

"That, my friend, is because you do," was the sly reply. Then she left him at the door, walking down the hall. Seth watched silently until she was obscured by the darkness. He'd miss her retorts, that much he knew. Then he shook his head. He didn't just learn that he couldn't shirk his responsibilities. He learned that she really was his friend. And damn it, he'd actually miss her when it did come time for her to leave. She had said she wouldn't, but they both knew that, come Atemu's death, she would. Seth just snorted.

"Only _you_ would be allowed to say that to me, knight," he muttered. Then he went into his chamber and closed the door. Tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow was _always_ another day, and tomorrow, he'd have much work to do. But that was the life of a high priest. It always would be. And right then, Seth was perfectly fine with that.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Aeroglyph is destroyed, but if anything, it made the alliance between Egypt and Nesce stronger. With the war ended, the only thing left is to see that the Espers are all right and have what they need to start the building of their new home. Will Seth escort Sith to the northern Spire once again? Will he shirk his job, as he had so long ago? And, how long will the alliance between Egypt and Nesce last? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	29. One Last Little Problem

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does. He wants to know if Espers _really_ existed.

News of the construction of the new Esper settlement, Saffernheist, spread through the kingdom like wildfire over the next few weeks, and Seth found it increasingly difficult not to hear about Sith and her brother. Not that he minded, since he did want to know if she was all right, but after a while, it was annoying to even sit through breakfast; even Atemu talked constantly about materials and trading. The only good news was that Bakura wasn't around the palace as much. Most of his time was spent with Sith, overseeing construction. Seth was perfectly fine with that.

But on this morning, Seth had been persistently woken up before the crack of dawn by a servant whom he was sure was just asking for a good beating. Grumpily, he stumbled out of his bed and heard frantic pounding on the door. And just as grumpily, he threw his robes on haphazardly. They looked disheveled and rumpled from being shoved on the floor. He didn't even bother putting his headdress on before opening the door. Not that it'd have done any good. The servant was _obnoxious_. Seth would need to remind him that servants were for _helping_ and that being obnoxious was for the peasants. He opened the door.

"What in hell is your problem!?" he demanded through clenched teeth, "I was sleeping." His servant was a young, bright-eyed man of about twenty-two, with blonde hair. In other words, a bumbling moron who wasn't even from Egypt. How wonderful.

"Sorry, master Seth, but I heard the pharaoh was downstairs waiting for you," the servant replied, holding a tray with a mug of herbal tea. It smelled more like boiled dirt. Seth grumbled, rubbing his eyes until he fully processed what was just said. Then his eyes widened.

"Wait… _what!?_" he exclaimed, "What did you say!?"

"The pharaoh's in the court, waiting for you," the servant repeated, his smile vanishing instantly. Then he yelped as Seth grabbed his shoulders, brows creasing in irritation.

"_Why!?_" came the brisk demand. The servant shivered; he obviously didn't expect such a harsh response. Seth let him go and stepped back, taking a deep breath. Then he asked, more softly, "Why is he waiting for me?" The servant blinked, and then slowly relaxed, realizing Seth wasn't going to hurt him.

"I don't know, sir," he replied, bowing, "Something about a settlement in the northern expense." Seth immediately grumbled. He should've guessed. Turning, he shook his head and put his headdress on. Then, without so much as a thank you, he stormed past the bewildered servant and headed into the hallway. It was still very early, and not even the other priests were up yet. Barely any of the torches were lit, for one thing. Seth ignored it all and walked past; even if it was the dead of night, he'd have to traverse the hallway if the pharaoh was waiting for him. He just wished he knew what the hell was going on.

Ten minutes and many twisting hallways later, Seth found himself outside in the courtyard. The sky was barely lightening in the horizon; there were still many torches lit in the court to provide adequate lighting. He could barely understand what was so important that he'd be woken up so early. He barely set foot one step before another servant came, this time with a horse. The horse was a grey one that Seth was sure should've been put down years ago, but had somehow miraculously lived through Shaddah's usual inspections. Its eyes, however, were bright and alert despite its dull, grey coat. The servant handed him the reins, smiling.

"Safe ride, master Seth," she said with a bow, and disappeared into the darkness. Seth grumbled again, grunting as he climbed onto the old mare's back. Likewise, the horse snorted with distaste too. Seth glared down at it.

"Like _I_ like this any more than you!" he snapped angrily, and shook his head again, "For Ra's sake, why can't the pharaoh bug Knight Sith about this!? It's _her_ settlement!"

"What if he already did?" came a voice Seth never thought he'd hear in open court. The priest quickly turned, and saw Bakura, his horse trotting over to him slowly. He had his veil pulled tight this morning. But his grin was clearly visible. "Morning, priest."

"Of all the people… Bakura, what are you doing _here_?" Seth asked him pointedly, raising a curious brow. It wasn't a secret that Bakura was considered a part of the court now, but he wasn't a frequent participator of it, either. In fact, the last thing Seth remembered, he was _supposed_ to be helping Sith with Saffernheist. He was a _long_ way away from that. But Bakura wasn't bothered by that slight inconsistency.

"I'm escorting the pharaoh, of course," the thief replied easily. If Seth's mouth didn't drop from the servant, it dropped now. Bakura? _Escorting_ the _PHARAOH!?_ Just being considered an ally was pushing it, but to walk among their beloved king! Just where was Atemu's judgment going?

"_You!?_" Seth asked, his voice barely going above a whisper. Bakura laughed and nodded his head. Shadows from the torches flickered across his face.

"Sith asked me to," he replied calmly, neither smug nor sarcastic, "She wants to know what he thinks of their building capacity. And she needs help. None of the Espers can craft from limestone or sand." Seth wanted to know why she'd even think Atemu would know how, but he didn't ask. The king would've needed to venture out there, anyway. The only question in his mind was why it involved him. Seth asked this, and Bakura shrugged and said, "I have no idea. Maybe she's still mad about you throwing her into the fire." Seth growled, wishing Bakura hadn't brought _that_ up. It seemed like an eternity since that happened. Hell, it seemed like forever since Rath was defeated. He shrugged.

"Somehow, that wouldn't surprise me," Seth said slowly. And it was the truth, too. As calm as Sith was, there was always a level of vengeance to her that made Seth not want to be on her bad side. But of course, that was an impossible endeavor; just making Sith angry was sometimes enough to put you in her bad favor. Seth put that thought aside, however, remembering that the servant had said Atemu was about. He couldn't even see the pharaoh. Raising a brow, he asked, "Isn't the pharaoh here?"

"He's over there," Bakura replied easily, jerking a thumb behind him. Seth squinted and barely saw the horse's outline; Atemu was silhouetted in shadow, making it all but impossible to see him. But he was there, and the answer was good enough for Seth. He turned from the shadows, toward the north. Daylight was just barely beginning to break through the northern horizon, casting a light haze far to the distance. Were Espers even awake at this ungodly hour?

"Is anyone else coming along?" Seth decided to ask, hoping that someone could share his unfair fate with him. Unfortunately, Bakura shook his head, and his easy grin returned. He seemed to enjoy Seth's silent torment.

"Just the three of us, old bean," the thief said jokingly, but again, the smugness was what caught Seth. He did _not_ trust Bakura, no matter how helpful he'd been against Rath. They had shared a common goal then; now, who knew just what the thief was even thinking? But he had sworn loyalty to Sith, and she _was_ known for straightening criminals. And guards. And pretty much anyone who didn't initially agree with her. Seth now worried about his chances of even getting out of the gate alive.

"Oh goody," he grumbled, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Hey, you're acting like I wanted this!" Bakura exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "It wasn't my idea to bring you, priest. But both Sith and the pharaoh suggested it, so if you don't want my dagger up your ass, don't complain!" Seth grumbled further. Who was _Bakura_ to be ordering him around? He wanted to ask that, but at that point, Atemu was already coming down the walkway at a slow trot, and the guard beside him let the horse's reins go. A serene smile was upon the king's face. Traveling with Bakura obviously wasn't a concern of his.

"Good morning, Seth. Bakura," he greeted them kindly, almost too good-naturedly, "How are they?" Bakura's grin turned genuine now, and his body relaxed at the pharaoh's easy tone. He nodded.

"They're good. Sith's getting tired, and she's calling the shots, but they're fine," the thief replied calmly, "But they're having trouble with limestone. No one aside from Sith's ever encountered it, and they don't know how to work with it. Their tools are designed for ore and crystal, and they've had a few shatter when they tried excavating the stone." Atemu's face blanched a bit. He probably should've warned Sith about the lack of pure crystal in his kingdom, but she seemed to have found out the hard way. And probably the most expensive way, too. A nervous laugh escaped him. She might not be too happy to see him if she lost a lot of equipment.

"How mad is she?" he risked, and Bakura laughed.

"Pretty mad, but she doesn't entirely blame you," the older man said, "As long as the other Espers don't try excavating it anymore, she should be fine. But her tools were delicate, and with Nesce in ruins, there's no way to forge more until they can go and get the metals needed." Atemu's face paled further. He hoped she had enough tools, then. Making a forge for her wasn't a problem; but getting the right material was, mainly because the metal Espers used wasn't even in Atemu's world. He shivered, and decided it best not to think too much on that. There was very little he could've done to solve the problem, anyway.

"We'd better go and see her, then," the young king sighed, turning his horse toward the gate. He didn't add that he didn't want to be near her if she was angry, and wondered if the other two knew that regardless. Without a word or question of protest, the three of them spurred their horses out of the courtyard and through the gates, with Seth taking only a brief glance back at the palace.

Seth wasn't surprised to find the streets of the city entirely empty. It was barely daybreak, after all. The torches from the palace walls provided light for the first few streets, but eventually, when that wound down, the city seemed to be plunged in darkness as the sun took its time to rise. The horizon was still a light blue in the far distance, but for the present, the city looked abandoned. No shop was open, and the taverns were closed from the previous night. Seth looked around, trying to find some form of life other than themselves. Despite being unsurprised, seeing the city so quiet disconcerted him.

"What an hour to be up!" he finally said in an attempt to break the silence, "What is this, my king, a new record?"

"Hey, I've been up a lot earlier than this," Bakura countered flatly, before Atemu could answer the priest, "Even without the usual activity, this place is livelier than Kul Elna." Seth raised an amused brow. He was pretty sure _any_ place, save for a cemetery or tomb, would be livelier than the old thief village. He snorted as they rode along the main path.

"With all due respects, thief, Kul Elna's nothing more than a burial for corpses," Seth retorted, with too much smugness for Atemu's comfort. Normally, Bakura would've stopped right there and dragged the priest off his horse for that, but he shrugged it away. He learned nothing Seth said would hurt him if he ignored it. Which he did. Almost.

"So is the Valley of the Kings and I'm not slandering it, am I?" was the curt response. Seth promptly shut up, knowing the thief held a good point. After that, nothing more was said as they rode through the silent metropolis. Atemu looked around with wonder, knowing that this was the most intimate inspection of his fair kingdom that he'd ever have; every building and alley would pass by his inquisitive eye, and neither his father nor Sith were there to haul him away from it, either. If he so much as wanted to stop and look for three hours, he knew he could. Bakura, on the other hand, seemed much less impressed with the scene unfolding before them. He glanced around occasionally, noting when his favorite tavern was closed or when a shop he 'frequented' was locked. But other than that, he merely regarded the silence as Ra's way of saying 'this is for you, later.'

Seth's view, however, was the most distorted of all three. He couldn't help but wonder what was hiding in every shadow, every unseen corner they passed, and couldn't stop glancing back occasionally in anticipation. Nothing ever stirred. And he knew nothing would. But the past few months of dealing with Rath had paranoid him, and he knew this too. Even with her death, he felt as though she haunted him. Haunted _all_ of them, to be more correct. Even Sith seemed afraid that she had somehow escaped the eternity of death. But there was nothing there, and it was more and more clear that Bakura took notice of Seth's cautiousness. He snorted at one point when they passed a particularly shadowed alley, and a cat running across the street startled Seth.

"Just what in hell are you looking for, Seth?" he finally asked, morbid curiosity getting the better of just being an ass.

"…nothing," Seth said after a moment. He had watched the cat, but it had escaped into another alley and didn't come back out. It was just a cat. Bakura gave the priest a worried glance, seeming to understand exactly what he was doing, and then turned around.

"You're scared too, eh?" he asked calmly, and Seth stopped, looking at him squarely. Just what did he mean by that? Seth asked him that, and he said plainly, "You're not convinced Rath's gone, either."

"You think she's still alive?" Seth whispered. Atemu finally stopped to see what was going on with them, and saw Bakura nodding grimly. He trotted over to the both of them, listening to their exchange.

"Sith says she isn't, but I think she's convincing herself of that instead of knowing it's the truth," Bakura told them both seriously, "And she's doing a shitty job. But she's the only one with this doubt – aside from me, of course." Seth and Atemu exchanged worried glances now. In the past three months since Rath's defeat, the worry of her return had never come up. At least, not near the palace. They both realized that anyone who had been under the mad woman's rule for any time feared her return. And how warranted that fear was! Atemu glanced at Bakura.

"_You_ think she's alive," he repeated after Seth, but this time it wasn't a question: it was a fact. Bakura nodded again.

"Sith and I have talked about it, and it's not an impossible thing for Rath," he told them, "We didn't _see_ her die in the fire."

"But we saw the citadel crumble! It was blown apart!" Seth interrupted, his voice high with alarm and conviction, "Anything inside was killed! Turned to ash! Sith even said so!" Bakura turned to him gently, and for once the priest saw compassion in the thief's eyes. He didn't _want_ to be right. But his tone said clearly, he knew he was.

"Sith has her doubts," Bakura continued, "Nesce is infected with evil energy. The citadel being destroyed may have destroyed a portal point, but no one can even get in. There's too much darkness to see. If Rath was killed, it should've been dissipated." Seth's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. The damned bitch hadn't been killed, after all. He shook his head, unable to believe it. Rath, alive! He saw the flames. He saw the explosion. But he also heard the insane laughter. That wasn't the sound of a dying woman.

"It… it can't be," he whispered in utter defeat. After all of this, after Egypt was nearly destroyed, their greatest enemy was still alive. Bakura's grim expression didn't falter, but Seth saw the corners of his mouth curl upwards into a cynical smile. He looked dark, almost evil himself.

"The good news is, if she is alive, she's not coming back for a long time," Bakura assured him, "But the bad news is, Nesce is infected and no one knows how to stop it. At this rate, no Esper or human can even get inside without being killed or possessed. And they're worried about sending Sith in."

"Because right now she's their leader," Seth reasoned, and Bakura nodded, "And if she dies…"

"Then no one aside from Sceppiro will be able to rule, and he doesn't trust himself like he trusts his sister," Bakura finished, hitting the nail on the head. Seth looked down, and Atemu seemed equally as afraid now. Rath was still a threat, albeit a small one, and merely a trace so. He took a deep breath, looking toward the sky. Daybreak was coming soon, now. And with it, the reassurance of the sun. He felt that, underneath it, no harm could come to them. He flicked his horse's reins.

"Let's go and see her, then," he said sternly, "Sith will clear all of this up." Neither Seth nor Bakura protested, though both knew Sith might not be able to assure them of much of anything. They rode off into the desert, leaving by the city's northern gate, which was still deserted at the early hour. Beyond, the quiet sea of sand awaited them.

It had taken nearly three days to travel from the metropolis to the coasts along the northern spire where Aeroglyph's castle and the old Lion's Gate used to sit. Now, however, there was barely a trace that could say the kingdom had even existed; the gates and outposts had vanished completely. And though Sith and her tribe had done as best they could to rebuild, their city was a paltry one at best. There were easily no more than a hundred residents, and they all looked exhausted, glum, and depressed. Hope seemed to have fled most of them. Sith was the worst off. She looked older and haggard, but she brightened when she saw Atemu. Quickly, she waved him into what served as her house.

It was a simple, wooden cabin. That was the best description Seth could make of it. The only outstanding feature was that it was the _only_ wooden cabin; all other houses were made of stone or, if the Esper was really unlucky, sticks. The furniture was minimal, as well. She had a bed, a table, and four chairs; there was a small hearth at the far left wall, and a locked room toward the side. But the house looked bare. Seth frowned. Had Sith overestimated their chances here? He couldn't say, but before he could question, she beckoned them to sit down in the seats. They were moderately uncomfortable.

"How fares it, Sith?" Atemu asked, after a silent moment in the dim room. Sith didn't answer straight away. She took a breath, let out a heavy sigh. The answer wasn't a promising one.

"We've done worse than I anticipated, sir," she finally replied at length, "Rath not only destroyed Aeroglyph, but she's cursed Nesce as well. Our ore, our supplies… we have nothing now. Nothing but our tools, and those are all but useless in the desert. Sir, we are a doomed race." Atemu's usual smile dropped instantly. Sith had never sounded hopeless before. This was the true power of her evil cousin. She broke his best soldier. He shook his head.

"Sith, don't say such things!" he exclaimed, standing up and grabbing her shoulders, forcing her to look at him, "You're a knight to Egypt! Have hope!"

"What do you expect of me!?" she demanded sharply, and the king let go of her, "Atemu… my friend, look around. We have food, but nothing more. We can't build without materials… and the ones provided destroy our tools in an instant. Where do we turn?" Atemu looked back at Bakura with worry. He had been here since day one. He had known Sith was in trouble.

"Why was I not _informed_ that my friend was in such trouble!?" he demanded of the thief, whose skin paled at his anger.

"I did say she needed help," Bakura replied stiffly, "And I did say Rath destroyed her stuff. Technically, I told the truth." Atemu's glance turned flat. Be that as it may, he omitted more than a few important facts. If Atemu had known, he'd have brought a caravan loaded to the gills with everything Sith needed. He turned back to Sith.

"We'll do whatever we can, my friend. I promise you this," he told her. For once, she smiled. It was a wistful, sad smile. It pained Atemu to see it.

"I was hoping you'd say that, friend," she replied slyly. Seth blinked, glancing from one to the other. There was a deeper message there, something he knew but couldn't understand yet. Atemu chuckled nervously, but otherwise didn't speak. Several moments passed in that fashion, and finally, Seth had to end it. He didn't go there to play charades.

"Knight Sith, what is this crap about Rath still being alive!?" he decided to get blunt with her, "She's supposed to be dead!" Sith looked over at him and nodded in grim agreement. Obviously, she wanted to believe that.

"Aye, but some men of great power do not simply die," she said softly, her lips thin, "We underestimated my cousin's will."

"Are you saying she's alive!?" Seth yelled, well past the point of courtesy. But Sith's patience was great. Tested, tried, but great. She smiled weakly at the priest and beckoned him to sit again. In his anger, he had stood up. He stared at her for a long, hard minute, unable to believe what she was confirming. But slowly, he sat back down. He was tense, but he had obeyed her silent command. It was several moments before she even spoke.

"I am not," she finally replied grimly, belying that gentle smile of hers, "She isn't alive, friends." Bakura looked over at her quizzically, not understanding her point. If Rath was _dead_, why was she so afraid. Why had she made _him_ afraid!? He waved a hand airily, leaning on the table.

"Sith, if she isn't alive, shouldn't she _be_ dead?" he questioned with a raised brow, "What else could she possibly be!?" Sith let out a sigh and looked away for a moment. Bakura waited for her answer, and visibly he looked calm. But inside, he was trembling. He feared her answer. For he knew there were two modes of life: living and death. But did she know a _third_ one? One that he did not, nor anyone in Egypt, consider to be possible?

"Undead," the woman finally said, and though her voice was quiet, it rang out harshly in the simple log cabin. Seth's mouth dropped; Bakura's eyes widened in horror. Both had heard, had even _seen_ corpses risen beyond death… but no one wanted to confirm it. Even Bakura, who had commanded a score of them himself, had feared what they might have been. Now he knew.

"Undead?" Seth repeated quietly, the word cutting the tension in the air like a sword. Sith nodded grimly, folding her hands on the table calmly.

"Undead," she confirmed, "She is neither alive nor dead, but her willpower enables her to transcend life. She is a horrid creature now." Seth snorted. _Now_? She was horrid before. Now she was just unbearable. She _must_ be eradicated. But when Seth presented the knight with this statement, she shook her head and said, "We know nothing of where she may be."

"So we let her be? What kind of solution is that!?" Bakura blurted out, unable to believe Sith's idle stance with this, "Sith, what if she destroys Egypt!?"

"She will not," Sith's calm hadn't faltered in the least, "She hasn't the power… yet." As if that could have possibly comforted them. Bakura shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing from her. If he were in her shoes, he'd blow his way through the gates of Nesce and destroy every corpse there until he was sure Rath was gone.

"Can't you have your uncle blow your way into Nesce and stop her!?" the thief cried out in alarm, "Sith, there must be _something_!" But he knew he was pushing it. The Espers had nothing left. He couldn't begin to ask them to fight, not when they were this badly off. Sith's visage hardened bitterly. Obviously, she had thought of that many times during the nights.

"What you are asking of me is to destroy my kingdom until _no one_ can enter, and I will not do that," she replied sternly, crossing her arms, "Rath _will_ surface again. That fact is inevitable. But rest assured I will be there to stop her again. That too is inevitable. Why should we put everyone in danger as of now, when the danger cannot be comprehended anyway?" Bakura shut his mouth, unable to answer her question. He didn't want to let Rath live, but he knew storming Nesce would cost thousands their lives. Both Egypt and Nesce suffered too much to be asked to bear that. But Seth wasn't nearly as logical. He pounded his fists on the table angrily, glaring at the knight.

"So you would knowingly let this threat fester!?" he demanded, "Damn it, knight, whose side are you on!?" She returned his glare threefold.

"I suggest you sit down," she growled, "I am the leader of the Espers. I must consider my heritage before saving _you_. If you feel this strongly, Seth, go in and disperse the darkness yourself. But I'll not be throwing my life away for this. Not when I know there's nothing to be done." Seth looked to Atemu for support, but the pharaoh seemed to agree to what Sith was saying. He too knew the risk that'd come with _trying_ to preempt Rath. She was a powerful foe; she would destroy them all in one sweep, including an exhausted Sith.

"What must we do, then?" the pharaoh asked her calmly, but the worry couldn't be shut from his voice completely, "Sith, we must take precautions." She nodded.

"Rebuilding both empires is a good start, but for that, sir, we will need a very solid trade," she reminded him, "As it stands, _we_, that is, the Espers, have no way to craft from the stone found in Egypt." There was a hint that Sith already had an idea in mind. It intrigued Atemu. He gave her a wary, guessing glance. Her face betrayed nothing, unfortunately.

"What are you planning, Sith?" he asked slowly, and her sly smile cracked across her usually grim expression. With the dim light, it looked sinister.

"In exchange for your best builders, we will send you our finest Aeroglyphian soldiers," she proposed, "We will have a strong outpost here, and in exchange, you will have solid defense against the art of magic. A more solid one than that of the priests, to be sure." Bakura howled with laughter. That was a hard bargain to deal with. It was even; too even to raise or lower the stakes without offending one party. Atemu's face blanched. He had never made such a contract, but it was obvious Sith had. Her smile grew knowing. He was running out of options, and she knew it too damn well. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Well?"

"Sith… you're asking a high risk here," Atemu replied after another moment, and slowly, "Rath attacked many parts of Egypt and all of them need rebuilding. We can't give you everything."

"So you'll give me nothing," she concluded, hitting the point Atemu wanted to carefully to avoid, "What you're not saying is that while we all suffer, whatever is left will hide behind your palace walls until the threat is so terrible that you have no choice but to heed me. And by that time, I may as well be dead." Atemu actually flinched now. That was harsh. But it was the ultimate truth. He couldn't give her much of anything without severely impacting his own kingdom, and it was true the survivors were under his protection. It was just as true that no one would want to listen to her, and many may even share Seth's view on the matter.

"That's rather brutal, isn't it?" Seth questioned the knight, when he saw his king unable to speak. She turned slowly to him, the seriousness never leaving her eyes.

"Isn't it also the truth?" she countered, and calmly said, "Atemu, if you can give me nothing, then I can give _you_ nothing, either." Atemu's frown worsened.

"What does that mean?" he asked curiously, worriedly. Sith didn't miss the fear in his voice.

"Right now I'm the leader of the Espers. Until I know my people are safe, sir, I cannot be a knight of the royal court," she explained simply, "And if you can't help me, that will be prolonged. I'd dare to say we stand a good chance of her coming back before we can help each other if this is your stance." Atemu's eyes hardened. He loved Sith; she was his closest friend. But the way she was speaking made him feel like the problems were his fault. With controlled anger, he waved a hand.

"What do you suggest we do then?" he asked her furiously. She stared for a moment. Then her next words came like a blow from a warhammer. Atemu never even thought for a moment he would hear them. Not from her.

"I suggest you place your loyalties," she replied. He understood. If he helped her, it would help him as well. But if he hindered her… only Rath would benefit, even in death. He frowned and stood. But neither said a word to the other.

What happened next didn't quite fit in Seth's mind. He could barely recall the details, it had all happened so quickly. One moment, they were in Sith's cabin, and the next, it felt as though she threw them out; not just out of her house, but out of Saffernheist. And it was a silent throw. She had spoken not a word, except to tell Atemu to choose wisely. The young king still hadn't made his mind by then. But one thing was certain above all else. Sith Winchester was beyond angry with him. Subsequently, that was what led to them currently: riding back from the northern coast in a whirl of worry, confusion, and disappointment. It was clear their meeting with the former knight had been a terrible one.

"What do we do about this one, pharaoh?" Bakura asked quietly, as the three rode side by side. Atemu had avoided that question with Sith. But with Bakura, he knew the thief would press on. Bakura was loyal only to Sith. There was no doubt he was angry, too. He just chose not to show it.

"We can't give kni… I mean, Sith Winchester, our best builders! It's out of the question!" Seth declared in exasperation, "Great pharaoh, she is being unreasonable. We did not go there to have her drag us to our knees!"

"And you suggest we go to war with her!?" Bakura retorted angrily, this time letting his fury show, "You are an idiot. Not only would she _crush_ us in one swoop, we'd lose her alliance no matter who won! Stop pressing the pharaoh and let the man think on his own for once." Seth continued to quarrel with Bakura, but Atemu blocked it out at the thief's words. He closed his eyes, trying to think. Sith had spoken briefly, but she was clear: he had five years to choose. He had asked her why, but she merely shook her head and said five years was all he had. Five years… it seemed so long and so short at the same time. How was he to choose! His beloved kingdom or his own friend…

"This is a matter we cannot solve with fighting," he finally said, ending the battle between thief and priest, both of whom turned to him quizzically. He looked up into the clouds, into the blue sky and said, "Sith knows there is danger, yet she will not speak of it yet. No… we won't fight her. We must find a way to work with her." Bakura nodded, but Seth's brow rose. In his mind, she had chosen her side.

"How, my king? How can we work with someone who clearly doesn't care for us any longer?" Seth asked, and Atemu's face hardened again. No. Sith _did_ care for them. That's why she quietly ushered them away. If this had turned into a fight, the Espers would all attack them, all at once. She had done what was best for _them_. What choice did _she_ have, anyway? She was right. She was the Esper leader. If she had accepted nothing with a smile, it would have been traitorous for the others. It would have hurt Sceppiro. He shook his head. Seth was wrong.

"We will find a way. We always have," Atemu merely said, and turned his horse back toward the direction of the metropolis. Seth shrugged and went ahead. He had nothing more to say; if he mentioned Sith was being stubborn, he would be expelled. Bakura stared at Atemu for a moment, but he understood. Atemu had no ill will towards the old Esper. It wasn't a matter of disloyalty for Sith. It was the simple fact that she obviously ascended her own throne. The thief gave a nod and a smile. Atemu was doing well on this matter.

And as for Atemu himself, he watched as Seth rode ahead, Bakura trailing him quietly. He didn't follow immediately. He turned slowly, just so much, back toward where Saffernheist was. Toward where the gate to Aeroglyph had _been_. The gate was still there, still smoldering. But he wasn't looking at the gate. In his own way, in a way no one could see, but more sense, he was looking directly at Sith. At the friend he had known for nearly sixteen years. Then with a nod of understanding, between human, Esper, and apparition of both, Atemu turned and left for the road. He would not be returning to Saffernheist, not for some time. He knew this. Sith knew this. And they both knew, in the end, who would have to make the returning trip. It was the one person who dreaded meeting with Sith in the first place. It was none other than priest Seth himself. It was just too damned ironic.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After visiting Sith, Atemu and Seth learn Rath may still come back. But when that'll be, not even the Espers know, and trapped in Aeroglyph's ruins, who knows if she'll rise again at all. For now, the biggest problem will be rebuilding the kingdoms, but with such friendship, Atemu and Sith will work everything out for the better. But will Rath rise again? Will Egypt and Aeroglyph remain allies? Find out in the Aftermath, so click that Review button!


	30. Aftermath: The Final Battle

DISCLAIMER: I don't own YGO. Takahashi does, and he says that it was nice to see Seth's reign of jerkiness ended. I agree, though I am sad. This is the last chapter to Seth's Magical Adventure.

Five years later…

Seth stood on the balcony that overlooked his entire kingdom, watching as his army marched toward the gates, preparing to head out to fight the Espers that had come back to destroy his world. Sith had been right. Rath had come back, after all. But not as the living, breathing creature they had faced and conquered. No, this time, she had come back exactly as Sith had feared: undead. And as such, her assault had become even more nightmarish than it had been. Not only could she devastate the land and rend it blackened and spoiled, but she could now do it with forces that they couldn't even see, let alone battle. Sith had been right. Sith had been right, and Seth couldn't even believe her.

"How long do we have?" he asked, looking over the vastness of what was now a charred wasteland beyond the city gates. Behind him, the two guards shifted nervously. They had received a report; they did _not_ want to report it to Seth.

"A-according to the scouts in the fields, we have less than a week to make it to Morag Pass before she sends out another horde," the first guard said, as the second added, "And… and Knight Sith is insisting she sees you." Seth sighed. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He and Sith rarely saw eye-to-eye anymore, not with Atemu dead and his successor having been unnamed. Their friendship seemed to have ended abruptly at that point. Mainly because Sith hadn't forgiven him for nearly betraying the pharaoh himself. But she did often insist on speaking with him. Never in a friendly way, of course; it was only for the good of the people that she even bothered.

"Disgruntling old hag…" he muttered grumpily, and asked, "What does she want?"

"She says it's urgent," one of the guards replied, and then he yelped and edged away when, lo and behold, Sith stormed in behind him. She had not waited to be admitted; such an act wasn't to be tolerated, and Seth wasn't Atemu. He wouldn't allow such insolence from, what should have been, his servant.

"Seth, you will listen to me this instant!" she yelled violently, pushing the guards back when they finally did decide to approach her, "How dare you do this! How dare you force us out of the kingdom! To what avail does this do, other than weaken your defense!?" Seth finally turned. So that was what this was about. He snorted.

"That doesn't call for being out of protocol, knight," he said to her coolly, and rose a brow, "As to your exile, it's necessary." Sith stopped, staring with wide, angry eyes.

"Necessary!" she repeated, just short of exploding, "You're _THROWING US OUT!_ Simply because we are Espers! We have done nothing to deserve this! In fact, I myself have _warned_ you that Rath would come back!" She had thrown her arms up in frustration, and seeing that Seth wasn't moved, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Or have you so forgotten the days when Atemu ruled?"

"I've forgotten nothing, knight," Seth replied, crossing his arms, "But I have a kingdom now, and the _Espers_ are killing us, even when half are _living_ amongst us. I won't ask this of my kingdom to tolerate."

"You are persecuting every Esper in this world!" Sith yelled back, pointing to his chest, "You are dooming us as Rath has already done! Why!? If you have another, more _convincing_ reason, I feign to hear of it!" At this point, Seth saw that the other living high priests and some of the guards were watching through his bedroom doorway to see what was causing such a commotion. He wasn't sure if Sith wasn't doing this on purpose, and he sighed. Most would take her side in this argument. She was, after all, their hero. He shook his head.

"I'm acting logically," he replied simply, and Sith cackled in disbelief.

"Oh, this shall be a good reason indeed," she mused sarcastically, eyes still narrowed angrily at the king, "Do tell, Seth." Seth winced at the lack of formality, but didn't call her on it. In the heat of her entrance, protocol no longer mattered to anyone there. Right now, it was just a battle between king and hero, ruler and savior.

"What would you have me do? Espers are slaughtering us, even if they're not from your side. Do you honestly wish us to let you inside unquestioningly?" Seth asked her. But his logic hadn't moved her, just as her anger hadn't swayed him. She almost sneered at him.

"I demand some level of loyalty on Egypt's part," she growled, crossing her arms, "You seem to forget that it was _I_, not _you_, who saved us from Rath five years ago. Do _not_ make me undo what seems to be a mistake." Seth stepped back, understanding what she was implying. If he went too far, she'd join the fray as another enemy to the kingdom. And he knew he was heading in that direction. But she wasn't the only one who mattered! He had to think of his kingdom! Zork had already devastated them badly enough; they couldn't handle Rath coming back. Something had to be driven out.

"I must stand by what's safest, knight," he replied firmly, but he winced at the nervousness in his own voice. It was the wrong thing to say. Sith uncrossed her arms and stormed up even closer to him. Despite being shorter, somehow, she was much more intimidating.

"You will start a war between us! Every Esper in this world will seek to kill you for this," she warned bitterly, "Are you certain this is what you want?"

"It's for my people, Sith."

"Your people will also stand against you!" Sith exclaimed, eyes blazing red with anger, "Do you not understand, Seth? By forcing me into exile, you've angered those you wish to protect! They feel unsafe enough as it is; you're only removing that which they see as a pillar to hold onto!" Seth's lips thinned. That was a good point, and he knew that once Sith left, his armies would have a difficult time just keeping the city from rioting. That was a good opening for Rath to use. And she'd use it. But… but they were Espers.

"I cannot allow the possibility for spies," he said. This time, Sith lost her temper for good. Any thoughts of being the Knight of the Court, of being a hero, of saving anyone, vanished in that instant. She grabbed Seth by his collar and shook him. He jerked back, and now the guards came into the room, grabbing the knight's arms to stop her. She pushed them aside; it took no effort to do so. Then she turned back to Seth. He had never seen such a look of hatred in anyone's eyes before.

"Then I hope you realize you have made the worst foe in your own courtroom," she said to him, in a darkness that he had never felt, "Do not ever think you will win the battle now. We shall see you on the battlefield." She turned abruptly, ignoring the horrified stares and open mouths that were turned toward her. And she strode to the door, her blue cloak billowing. But as she reached it, Seth called out. She stopped, but did not turn to look at him as she said, "What?"

"We will win even without you, exiled knight. We are not a doomed country," Seth told her curtly, "Now get out of my palace forever." With that, Sith left, swearing to never return under Seth's rule.

Seth did not win the battle. He did not win the skirmishes. Indeed, without Sith, his army was thrown into chaos. Not because the other generals were incapable of controlling them, but for a far worse reason. Sith had not lied when she promised to see him in the desert; she simply hadn't stated she would be his opponent. Seth regretted exiling her now. For behind her stood an army of five thousand Espers, none of them loyal to Rath in the least. And he knew that when she had gone back to Saffernheist with news of their exile, they rallied to overthrow the new king in anger at such unfair treatment. Seth could hardly say he had expected that.

But what truly caused him to lose the battle wasn't Sith's appearance. It was the chaos she instilled by being there, by facing what had once been her own army. None of the soldiers could wrest the courage to strike down their old commander, and none of the people could kill their own hero. In the short weeks that passed, Sith's legacy in Egypt hadn't even dwindled. And as she had warned, they too had sided with her. But she had not retained that loyalty. Not to its full extent. Her men pressed on, slaughtering those who sided with Seth, sparing only the townsfolk and those who were smart enough to flee back to the palace. Seth could only watch as the field was littered more and more with human blood.

Relief had come the third day when Shaddah's troops had come to try and calm the calamity. But that relief, too, was short lived. Sith's men were even angrier by Seth's declaration of the knight gone mad, and the slander he had circulating around her had caused those less loyal to fight by his side. The only true relief was that Espers and men were both dying now, blue blood spilling as thickly as red. To Seth, he was eradicating a problem. But to the many horrified villagers in the gates, he was sealing their death.

"Sir, we have to stop this war!" one soldier cried to him, as they stood at the balcony again, watching as Sith advanced, cutting down every man on her path to the gateway, "Sith Winchester will kill us all!"

"Then the answer to that is a simple one!" Seth snapped, turning to glare at the man, "We destroy her. There is not much to be said! We kill her as she has killed our own men!" The guard, however, was not enthusiastic for that response. He recoiled in abject terror at the thought. The woman, however mad she had become, had been his mentor. She had trained him, and all of his comrades. She had taught them that death was no answer. Not unless pushed to it.

"How can we kill her?" the guard whispered, "She has done so much for us…" Seth growled, but didn't answer the guard. How could they kill her, indeed? Atop her black horse, she seemed almost invincible. The spears of his men couldn't harm her; she jumped out of sight and returned in less than a second, long enough to avoid being skewered. But she could hurt them, and she often did. Seth saw her sword bury itself in his men's chests more than he knew was good. But if he had concerns for trying to convince her to come back, they were forgotten. If anything, her barbaric victory only proved that all Espers were to be sent back to Oblivion, back to their own world. Even if that world was a wasteland now.

"Ready my personal guard!" Seth commanded, and turned to the guard by his side, "I shall go down there myself."

"My lord, it's too dangerous! Sith Winchester will kill you in an instant!" the guard cried in terror, but Seth walked past without replying. He knew that was a possibility. But if his men didn't stop her, he'd be forced to. They were supposed to fight Rath; if they lost to Sith, Rath would win anyway. Sith was making a mistake.

Seth departed from his quarters with a dark scowl on his face. Never in his life did he even think Sith would be his most fearsome opponent. He had been so sure that, during the past five years, she had become a non-event toward him. They had scarcely spoken at all after Atemu's death, and he had thought that perhaps it was because she had grown too weak to stand up to him, knowing he didn't have the same kindness as Atemu held for her. Now he knew he was mistaken. All at once, it was as if the silence slammed down around him like a giant hammer, crushing the illusions he had that Sith was merely a pawn for him to use in his army. Now he saw that truly, the kingdom's welfare relied almost solely on her. Her and her damned legacy.

He could barely understand it as he stormed down the hallway. Why had it been that way? Why had Atemu let it be this way? _He_ had been king! Why had he let Sith undermine him to the point of causing his own army to side with her? Seth couldn't understand. She was just an Esper. An old Esper, but still just one. Yet, when he saw the battlefield, it was clear she wasn't _only_ an Esper. She was _the_ Esper. His men feared her now when they had once adored her, and it was then that Seth knew he would lose. The only out was to force her back to Nesce, behind the seals she placed. If he couldn't, Egypt was done for.

But as he entered the expansive entrance hall, he saw that Isis and Shaddah were there, almost blocking his path, but not just quite. And that caused him to stop. Why would his own priests halt his progress? He regarded them both; Isis looked the sterner of the two. And it was she that came toward him, eyes locked on his. She was not happy.

"You are going to face Sith Winchester," she said without question, and when Seth nodded, she said, "You _will_ die, my king. Do you not see what you've done? What you're going to do?"

"If she is foolish enough to kill me, then Rath deserves to battle her alone," Seth replied coolly, unconcerned for the prophecy he just received, "Priestess Isis, I was not aware you were able to see my future." Isis shook her head. That wasn't a correct statement, and she gestured around the palace.

"Not _your_ future, my king," she said quietly, "But Sith Winchester's herself. Since she is no longer a part of our court, the blocks she placed on our items was released. I have glimpsed into her future. Your blood stains her sword." Seth slowly blinked, as if hearing this for the first time. Now he understood her grave concern. He could change his future. He didn't _have_ to see Sith. But he certainly couldn't change _hers_, and if Isis was sure she'd kill him, it wouldn't matter where Seth ended up. Sith would find him.

"Where?" he demanded at once, "In the palace!?"

"On the fields, my king," Isis replied sadly, looking down, "You will go out there to end this war. And it will be your biggest downfall." Seth's eyes widened for a moment, and then they narrowed. No! He didn't have to go outside at all! His first reaction was to yell, to tell her she was wrong. But then, he just laughed instead. Of all things! It was so simple. He just didn't _leave the palace_. Sith wouldn't be able to get in. But when he stated this, Isis simply said, "You will die on the fields, my king."

"How!?" Seth demanded in frustration. By all rights, this was avoidable! Why was she so adamant about his death? Sith was not a stupid creature. She wouldn't dare break the gates. If she did, she would have an army of spirits coming after her; the priests in the temples were summoning them for defense as Seth even spoke to Isis. But what if she wasn't afraid? He shook his head again.

And that's when the palace shook. It was a violent tremor, more an earthquake than any attack that could have been launched. It sent Seth staggering forward, and servants down below screamed, rushing around trying to hide. The booms outside were growing in volume, however, and soon the screams were lost in it. Guards came pouring into the front doors, and one screamed up to Seth.

"_RATH'S ARMIES HAVE COME! SITH WINCHESTER IS UNDER ASSAULT!_" Seth and Isis exchanged terrified glances. A moment ago, that wouldn't have bothered Seth. But this new revelation of his death changed things. Was Sith meant to die as well?

"Isis, what was Sith's future?" Seth asked her, and she frowned, "Tell me! Will she too be killed?"

"I cannot say, my king," she told him. Seth growled and stormed past, running down the stairs. This was madness! Just a moment ago, Sith was slaughtering _his_ men! How had the tables turned so rapidly, so inexorably badly? Had Rath planned this to happen? By exiling Sith, had he played to the evil one's hands? Seth refused to believe that. But then… Sith's final words came back to him. '_You are dooming us as Rath has!_' Once again, she had been right.

Seth burst from the stairs and ran straight out the front doors, ignoring the guards to his left and right, and being ignored himself. He had to get to the battlefield. He had to stop this, which he himself created fully. But he knew he was most likely too late. Sith wouldn't forgive him, even if he admitted she had been right. He had gone too far once again.

"_MY HORSE!_" he yelled, and his mare came galloping from the stables, stunning the young servant who had been trying to tame her. She let out a thunderous whinny, and Seth climbed onto her back. Amidst the chaos and terror, it was as if nothing truly mattered anymore. Nothing other than getting out there and seeing this through. Seth knew he was going to die; but the question was, would Sith? Kings came and went, but heroes lived forever, and Egypt had its hero. Seth was not that hero.

When guards began to see their king atop his horse, they immediately stopped fleeing from the attacks, and went to the stables to grab steeds as well. Very quickly, Seth had a ring of his finest with him, both from the palace and from the bloody war beyond the safety of his gates. And when presented with a report, he was told that indeed, Sith was cornered. She needed help. But then Seth wondered, why help her? Hadn't she made her choices to play against him? Then, he shook his head. What on earth did _that_ even matter? Her choice was made out of pain. Pain that he had caused. He had to right this. He simply turned toward the gates into the city and yelled, "To the battlefield!" And, they were off.

The screams returned once they reached the city proper, and Seth saw that his gates had been broken after all. But not by Sith; no, what came pouring out after the helpless men and women were demons spawned from the darkest abyss. Monsters that Sith herself vowed to kill. Monsters that Rath could summon. Seth could only growl. Rath had known what was happening, and she played her hand well. Now she could destroy her cousin _and_ the throne of Egypt in one shot; they were two things that stood in her way to conquering this world. Seth couldn't let that happen. He had made a promise to Atemu.

But the farther into the city they went, the harder it was to get to the gates. Villagers and wounded guards and magicians alike swarmed around, trying to get somewhere and getting nowhere at the same time. Many died before even reaching those gates. The demons proved to be merciless; men were skewered with shards of hardened darkness that fizzled and disappeared once death struck their targets. But Seth did see something that brought him hope. Espers were retreating into the city, and they were dispatching the monsters with a single swipe of their blades. But Sith wasn't among them. Seth simply nodded, and continued on.

The desert, he saw, was becoming a gathering place of crumpled bodies and burned flesh. Men and women, humans and Espers, werewolves and vampires, any forms of magical race, lined the bloodied paths snaking through the vast dunes. Not one of them were alive. The guards began to lose their morale at seeing so many victims, but Seth had to press on. He had to stop this. Even if it killed him, he now saw that everything Sith said was true. Indeed, by exiling her, he sentenced his people to this fate. To die by the magic of an evil mind. As king… no, as Atemu's cousin and successor, he had to end this and realign his kingdom with Sith. That was the only chance of survival. But the problem was getting her to say yes. As it was, she was under attack. If she was dead before they found her, then Egypt as a whole was doomed. The entire world as Seth knew it might not even survive. Not without Sith to slay Rath.

Thankfully, the battle wasn't waged far beyond the expanse. Already, Seth could see the fighting, could hear the swords ringing against each other, and could feel the rippling of the fabrics of space as magic was thrown across the battlefield. He finally slowed. The battle was elevating to a fatal state to anyone who simply entered it at the wrong place. Charging right in would be a foolish move indeed. But what could he do!? Sith was down there; he saw her clear in sight. And Rath was above, raining down bolts of energy as Sith's horse tried to dodge them, Sith trying to slash at the woman while simultaneously riding.

"She doesn't stand a chance!" one guard cried out in terror, watching as a bolt finally slammed into the black mare, sending Sith sprawling to the ground. Another looked at Seth and said, "What do we do, sir!?" Seth's brows creased. That was easy enough. They had to help Sith.

"We help Sith Winchester," the king growled angrily, and shouted, "Move out!" All around, Seth's soldiers cheered and they once again rushed down toward the battlefield. Rath, for now, was distracted with finding her cousin. But she wouldn't be that way forever. Seth had to make this count. He shouted and cursed, and urged his horse to charge fast and strong. Many Espers turned toward the source of the noise; many more were stunned or confused from the ensuing chaos as well. Seth's side of the battle dropped their weapons or fled back toward the palace, knowing that with the king there, Sith might not strike them. Sith's side of the battle couldn't even fight at all; they no longer knew who was friend or foe. Likewise, it was of similar status for the Espers supposedly on Rath's side.

"What the hell is going on!?" cried one wolfish Esper, eyes widening as a horse sped his way. Another, darker Esper beside him pushed him to the ground, both of them falling out of harm's way.

"Who in hell cares!? Run!" the dark Esper replied, and the two scrambled away as another horse rushed by, its rider screaming as he threw his spear toward Rath. This time, Rath caught the movement and turned, barely catching the spear in her hand. She hissed. It drew a nice line of black blood that ran down her arm as she snapped the spear in two. And she let them fall.

"So, then Egypt's coward finally decides to face me head on, eh?" Rath called, mouth turning up in a feral grin, "It's about time, Atemu! …Eh?" For a moment, she was shocked as she saw Seth riding up on the royal mare. Then, she understood. Her wicked grin returned as she said, "Atemu is no longer alive."

"For one who is about to die for endangering my friends and our kingdom, you have some nerve to speak of the previous king!" Seth yelled back, as a guard beside him helped Sith to her feet. She stared up at Seth in disbelief. So, he had decided to help her, after all. Now she began to feel bad for killing his men. She turned back to Rath as well.

"How dare you use my own people against me! For that, you shall also pay dearly!" Sith cried out, and drew her sword, "Zealacht will feast on your blood this day." But both threats had no effect on Rath. She threw back her head and laughed. Her laugh, wicked and high pitched, boomed across the entire desert, and seemed to make the sky flash in red for just a few moments. The guards around both Esper and king shivered, fearing for their lives at that moment. But neither Sith nor Seth had that luxury.

"You both failed to successfully kill me last time, and yet you think you can do so today?" Rath asked them, and laughed again, "You aren't even fit to fight my pets, let alone myself!"

"They are if they have us!" came a cry from below, and Rath turned. And now her mouth dropped. Swords and spears alike had been raised, and raised by the Espers. But it wasn't from Sith's side; Rath's own _men_ were aiming their weapons at her. The one who had cried out spoke again, "You've sentenced us long enough, vile creature of the abyss!"

"_What!?_" Rath screeched, eyes beginning to glow red as she glared down at what had once been a loyal army, "You dare to side with these vermin!?"

"You're the one who kept us locked up in the ruins for five years. It's about time we get our revenge," said another dark Esper, "_FOR SITH WINCHESTER!_" Seth watched in mild amusement as that chant spread all across the non-human ranks, rumbling the desert like a thunderstorm. Sith herself just snorted, a confident smirk forming on her face as she watched her cousin's reaction. Rath was mortified. All at once, in a massive tide, her army went against her. This… this was unforgivable!

"_HOW DARE YOU ALL!_" Rath screamed, and her voice cut through the chant like a knife through butter, "No one… _NO ONE DISCARDS ME AND LIVES!_" The sky blackened immediately, and any enthusiasm at seeing Sith alive and well was instantly squashed. Rath's voice echoed for minutes, but no other sound was made; no one was brave enough to speak. Tension rose in waves, and even though no magic was being cast, the ground began to tremble as if angered by the betrayal of the Espers as well. One of Seth's guards shivered.

"W-what is that, sir!?" he asked Seth, as another said, "Commander, what do we do!?" Seth and Sith exchanged glances. There was nothing that could be done. Rath was opening up Oblivion as they spoke, and she was too high for even Sith to reach now. Sith nodded with understanding when Seth didn't speak; she knew that _only_ she could kill Rath now. It would take a leap of faith, and Sith was the only one who could leap into the air high enough to do this. And it might still even kill her.

Her bravery always impressed Seth. If there was any one thing the former priest could credit to the old knight, it was that she never backed away. Even now, she didn't back down from Rath. Taking her sword, Sith knelt on the ground for just a second, gathering every last reserve of energy she could muster. This jump would be the highest she'd ever made yet, and if she was lucky, her wings would unfold and let her glide back down. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and leapt into the air. And she flew upwards at a speed no other Esper could match. No dragon, no demon, _nothing_ could have gone so high and so fast in a single shot. She could scarcely hear the cheers below her as she burst through the dark clouds, and could barely see the misty gloom as she passed it. No, her eyes were on one target and one target only: Rath Winchester.

Thoughts of her home flooded her mind as she soared higher into the air. Sith had to do this. She had to succeed and strike Rath in one shot. Not just for the Espers, but for Seth, too. She may die from this, but it would be his kingdom that suffered eternally, not hers. For the Espers were a race mightier than time itself, and they would revolt and eventually kill Rath if she did not. But humans weren't so lucky. When she first promised Atemu that she'd protect whomever he chose to succeed him, she didn't imagine she'd be willing to die for that person. But now she knew she had to be. The entire universe would be put in jeopardy if Oblivion was opened up and allowed to swallow even one world. She had just one shot… just one chance to get an edge on her hated enemy.

But Sith Winchester never got that chance. As soon as she was within striking distance, something else struck _her_. Everyone down below screamed and gasped in agony. A gigantic, purple blast of lightning hit the old knight head-on, and she spiraled out of control, slamming into the ground far below her. But the shock of seeing her defeated was not what terrified them all. No, what was even worse was that Rath wasn't the one to shoot Sith Winchester. It was someone else, someone nearly as strong.

"What the hell did that!?" one vampire asked, as a soldier screamed, "Commander!" The soldier rushed over to where his commander had fallen, but another blast struck just before he reached her, blocking him off. This time, he saw who had attacked Sith. It was another dark Esper, clad in a gray cloak much like Rath was. Her long, brown hair flew over her shoulders, and on one eye was a lens of some sort.

"Go near this one and I'll kill her," the woman said darkly, "No one attacks lord Rath and lives to tell of it." That silenced the commotion instantly. Everyone froze where they stood, too afraid of the fate of their hero to know what to do to help her. Rath just laughed hysterically. Even with her entire army on Sith's side, just knowing Sith was going to die was more than enough to halt them all in their tracks. Even if Oblivion itself was against her, that wouldn't be enough to stop her. Not when Sith was so close to being killed once and for all. She looked down at her loyal underling and nodded approvingly. Then she glanced over at Seth. He looked so pitiful, with his paltry army behind him. She grinned wickedly.

"Kill them all!" she shouted, and the woman below was only too happy to oblige. She raised her arms, and multiple lightning blasts came forth now, knocking the enormous army flat onto their backs. Many were caught directly in the blasts, their skin frying upon contact. Those that weren't were sent flying across the field, often slamming into the ground and dying on impact. Espers fared much better than their human counterparts; both sides began to aid everyone, no longer caring who had fought whom. But Rath wasn't done. The woman unleashed hundred of lightning bolts at once, and this time, every one that struck the ground sent a shockwave that exploded into a mass of fiery outrage. Horses screamed and soldiers fled, both sides being slaughtered mercilessly in the onslaught of power. Seth could do nothing now. He had to escape or he couldn't help Sith at all. He turned his horse toward the palace. If he could get there, he might survive long enough to reach Sceppiro and save Sith.

But he wouldn't get there. Rath saw his movement, and so did her minion. The woman snapped her fingers, and the lightning rained down around him. But Seth's horse was faster still, dodging them as though the mare had been trained to do so all her life. She galloped onward, Seth picking up one soldier who had survived the massive storm. But his horse wasn't fast enough to outrun the bolts forever. The second soldier left the horse unbalanced, and she toppled when the third bolt struck close to her. Seth and the soldier went under, the soldier screaming as the horse accidentally crushed him; Seth was lucky enough to roll away before he was killed.

"_SITH!_" he called, getting up when another bolt struck where he had just been. All around him, dead men and women lay, of all races and being. Rath was murdering everyone and everything, and he realized he might be next. Sith could already be dead. And yet he knew she wasn't. If she was, Rath wouldn't be doing this. He ran forward, dodging another bolt, and then a third one. Sith had to be somewhere. It was just a matter of finding her.

"_Sith, where are you!?_" he called again. He got a blast of lightning as a response, and danced to his left to avoid being singed. Then he dove under a boulder, knowing it would only serve him for so long before Rath and her minion blew it apart. He just needed some time to think. If he could get to Sith, he might be able to escape with her. But then what? Rath would go after them both, and with Sith injured, he couldn't possibly hope to escape. There had to be something he could do.

But he knew there wasn't. Isis had been right. Coming here _was_ his downfall, and now he understood why. She hadn't said Sith would kill him; she merely said coming would get him killed. Damn it all, he should have known! But it was too late now. Now, he was trapped behind a boulder, and any minute he would hear Sith being killed. Except that, as he waited for that fateful scream, he realized nothing was happening. There was no more yelling, no sound of steel ringing against steel, no magical onslaught to speak of. It was as if nothing existed any longer. Seth blinked, wondering what could've happened. And he risked peeking over the edge of the boulder. Everyone he could see was dead already, lying in pools of black, blue, and red blood. Everyone… all of his soldiers, all of his allies, everyone was dead. He muffled a horrified scream as he took it all in. How was it that he survived that, while everyone around him perished so quickly?

Quickly, he scurried around the boulder, out into the open once more. Perhaps Rath fled now, seeing that everything had been destroyed in her thunderstorm. He certainly couldn't see her anywhere. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his rapidly-beating heart, Seth looked around carefully for any sign that Sith was still there. It no longer mattered if she was alive or not; as long as he got her body out of the field, Rath couldn't resurrect her as she herself had been. He knew that if Sith returned as an undead warrior, that was that, and the entire world might be doomed. Thankfully, he saw her not too far from where he was standing. But whether she was alive or not, he couldn't yet see. He'd have to look.

But as he went closer, something began to feel wrong. Sith was just lying there; Rath could have taken her away and disposed of her if she was such a threat. So why hadn't she? Seth stepped running and slowed down to barely a walk. The closer he got, the worse the feeling became, until his mind practically shouted that this was a trap. He forced himself to heed that. As much as he prayed Sith was alive, he had to think of his own safety, too. He finally stopped entirely, staring. He was still too far away to see if she was breathing, but he had a feeling now that at least, she might still be alive. For moments, he simply watched, waiting. Rath had to be close, and she had to be watching. But nothing stirred. He took a step closer, when ten minutes finally passed. Nothing happened.

"…Sith?" As soon as he said her name, something happened. Before he even had time to react, before he could even move, a final, fatal blast of lightning hit him dead on. He screamed, feeling every watt of electricity dance up his spine, every prick and shock on his skin. The lightning burned him, and though the spell lasted seconds, those seconds felt like years to him, and in an instant, he was on the ground. And he wouldn't be getting up. But something else had. He could only barely see something slowly stand, and slowly walk over to him. The figure bent down to examine him… and he saw… it was Sith! She was alive, after all. But she was far from fine. Blood streaked her face and her clothing.

"Sith… I'm sorry, Sith…" he whispered, his voice oddly dry and old, "What I said… about you… I was wrong, Sith… I never… should have…" Sith shook her head and touched his face gently. She knew what was happening; he was dying. Egypt would lose a second king in only a few short minutes.

"Silence, my friend," she replied gently, eyes watering, "Now is no time for regret. Rath is still upon us… and…" Sith stopped, realizing that Seth wasn't listening to her. Something wasn't right again. Tilting her head, she knelt and laid him on his back. And she saw what was wrong. Seth was dead.

"N-no!" she gasped, and then screamed, "_NO!_ No, Seth, no!! You can't! You can't die on me! Think of Egypt! Think of Atemu! My god, _SETH!_" But there was no use. Seth was dead, and she couldn't help him. Sith finally screamed. For all of her strength and all of her ability, she couldn't do anything for Egypt. In fact, it was her family that destroyed it at all. No, this just couldn't be happening… and yet, Seth was in her arms, dead. Her tears splashed onto his face as she sobbed, and slowly, she said, "I'll avenge you, my friend." And as she let go and stood up, she vowed to keep that promise.

"_RATH!_" she screamed, looking up into the dark sky, where nothing but silence stood, "Come out here and face me, you damned coward! I'm the one you want to kill! Leave Egypt alone!"

"Leave it alone?" Rath's voice sounded, but she was nowhere in sight, "My dear cousin, Egypt is all but destroyed. There's nothing left of it now."

"Why have you done this!?" Sith demanded angrily, looking all around but failing to see any sign of her cousin, "Why, Rath!? Why destroy this world!? What have humans done to deserve this? What have Espers and the others done!?" Her voice boomed across the desert, and she waited for her answer. Rath didn't speak for some time, but when she did… she no longer sounded insane, nor even really furious. She seemed calm now.

"Why?" Rath repeated, almost amused, "Sith, Sith, Sith… you really don't understand what I'm doing?"

"I understand that you've killed my king, my friends, and my own mother and father," Sith replied bitterly, eyes narrowing, "But no, I don't understand why. What do you have against me? Why do you want the throne? Why destroy it!?"

"I don't want the throne, Sith," came the calm response, and Sith frowned deeper, "Look around us. Everywhere, priests and magicians lay dead. Casters of magic far weaker than ours, and people who do not believe in the old language anymore." Sith looked, and saw what Rath said, but to her, all she could see was a massacre of the very people she loved. She shook her head.

"What are you saying!? That they all deserve to die!?" Sith demanded, and shook her head more vigorously, "Who are you to decide this!?"

"You and I both know that magic only has such a reserve, Sith. The more different variations there are, the more and more Oblivion comes to collapsing. I'm cleansing this world," Rath told her, but Sith didn't believe a word of it. Cleansing the world? She murdered Seth, Bakura, and everyone else Sith saw. If anything, she infected the earth with cursed blood.

"You're massacring everything! You're mad!" Sith yelled furiously, clutching her sword even tighter than before, "You've opened Oblivion, and you're insane! You _must_ be!"

"I've opened Oblivion specifically for this purpose," Rath told her, and now she finally appeared. She no longer looked like the insane woman Sith had slain five years before, "I will destroy every variation of magic until the Espers are the only ones left to wield it."

"Then _I_ will stop you!" Sith declared, and locked her sword on level with Rath's neck. Rath just laughed. Sith really didn't even care about what she was saying. The poor thing would never understand what happened. Even if she did kill Rath, it was too late. This world was on the verge of being swallowed. All Rath's second death would do was delay it for a few more years. Oblivion could wait for that.

"That's adorable," Rath said to her, and held up a hand, "But your sword will do nothing against me. I have the power to kill you, and to destroy this world in one blow." Sith noticed that, as Rath spoke, the ground beneath them began to rumble again, and the sky appeared to be glowing red underneath the black clouds. The old knight's eyes widened in terror. She could already feel the magic of the Espers swirling in Rath's hand.

"You wouldn't dare!" Sith cried out, and backed away, "No! You can't! Not Oregashyn! Rath, you'll destroy _everything_!" But Rath was just smiling as Sith begged her to stop. No, there would be no stopping her. Not this time.

"You know the only thing that can stop me is another forbidden spell, Sith. And you know you won't use it," Rath replied calmly, and then gently said, "Goodbye, little cousin." She unleashed the spell, and Sith felt space itself warp and bend, as though not even the planes above could comprehend just what was going to happen. Sith took a deep breath. Rath would kill everyone, and if she _was_ stopped, the world was in jeopardy anyway. The only difference would be how many parts of this world that survived. The answer was very few. But Sith had to believe in those very few.

The next thing Sith understood was just how severe her situation was. Right before the fatal blasts, right before the world halted its march, she screamed '_Oregashyn!_' herself, unleashing an equally deadly blast of magical energy at Rath. Both spells collided in an instant, and for exactly twelve minutes and twelve seconds, the world knew nothing but blackness. Space and time warped and tore into themselves as the spells battled each other, one willpower trying to dominate the other. But in the end, the spells erupted and fizzled, neither being able to best the other. And when it ended, Rath was alone. Nothing remained of the field anymore; the sand was completely level and all corpses had been incinerated. The stars didn't light, and the wind didn't blow. Everything was dead.

"So she tried to stop me anyway," Rath said quietly, and then shook her head, "Stupid creature… heh… heheh…" Rath threw back her head and laughed hysterically. In the end, she had prevailed! After years of banishment, after years of being locked away, she had done it! She unleashed Oblivion, and she killed the very people who were responsible! And now she was free to go and continue her bloody conquest. There were still many worlds to destroy for twisting magic for their own uses. Not even Bahamut would stop her, and Sith certainly wouldn't. Not any longer. It was almost too hysterical.

A slash of that damned purple sword abruptly ended Rath's train of thought. In one instant, she had been laughing, relishing the fact that Sith was dead. But in the next, she felt the pain of that magical blade, of Zealacht slicing through her very being, slicing the space she was in, tearing the very atoms that made her up. And in that instant, Rath's body was split into two, both halves collapsing onto the ground. Neither half moved. And when it was said and done, Sith sheathed her blade, ignoring the black blood that now stained her clothes.

"I did not try," Sith said grimly, and turned away, "I succeeded."

"And you did well, sis," came a voice behind her, and Sith turned to see Sceppiro standing there. But despite his praise, he did not look pleased. "We're in trouble. You've unleashed the forbidden spells. Bahamut is already on his way here."

"I know this," Sith replied, pushing past him, "That's why I'm going to get my things and…" She stopped, and turned to Sceppiro. Just how did he even know this? Currently, he took out his own sword, its blue blade glowing as he made an arc above his head. Space was torn open again; Sith saw the remnants of the void from where she stood. "Sceppiro, what are you doing!?"

"We're escaping," the older Esper said, and turned to his sister, "Come on."

"We can't! Are you insane!? Sceppiro, we can't leave this world!" Sith cried in exasperation, "This is my responsibility! I can't just run away!" She yelped when Sceppiro stormed over and grabbed her wrists. He all but dragged her toward the torn space, and though she struggled, he was strong enough to get her to look at him. He looked very haggard.

"Listen to me, Sith! If he catches you, he's going to damn you here! I can't allow that!" he exclaimed, and then calmed himself, "I'm your brother, Sith. It'll be okay. I already know where we can go from here, but it's going to take a very long time to get there. You have to trust me, okay?" But Sith was shaking her head, trying to get away. Sceppiro stopped her, and shook her hard. "Sith, trust me! Do you trust me!?"

"Y-yes…"

"Then let's go," he said, and pushed Sith through the tear. Before he himself left, he turned just once more to the bloody, empty desert, and said, "From this day forth, I, as king of the Espers, demand that the traitors of our kingdom be exiled from our race. All who have served Rath, and continue to, will be feared as the Mystics. And all who have lost their power due to Rath, will be known only as Chesiers. No longer will the Espers be known to the men of this world. And no longer will we have Mystics spoiling the Esper heritage. This, I declare." And with that, Sceppiro departed. And he didn't look back. There was nothing to look back to.

-----------------------------(End Story)

And so Seth's Magical Adventure finally comes to an end. And not a particularly good one, either. After years of struggle, and after years of partnership with Sith, it all came down to one blow between Espers, good and evil. And in the end, neither won. Thank you for reading Seth's Magical Adventure. It's been two and a half years since starting this story, and I have to say it did well. So, as a final favor, do click the Review button and tell me what you thought.


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